Miyu: The Vampire Hunter
by BlueDragonGirl1
Summary: By day, Miyu is just a regular person, but by night she's a vampire hunter out to destroy the ones who destroyed her life. Until one vampire changes hers forever.
1. Unknown Origins

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter Chapter One: Unknown Origins 

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Princess Miyu, but hey, neither do you. (While you're at it, read my other stories New Vampire Miyu: To Change The Future and Return To Me.) The poem I made up.

They dwell in the shadows of the night 

_Feasting off of human blood_

_These damned beings are taking over_

_Only the sun keeps them at bay_

_But they are evolving_

_Now they live among us_

_Picking out their prey by day_

_Draining them by nightfall_

_There are only a few humans that will risk anything to slay them_

_These Vampire Hunters, shunned by society,_

_Stop at nothing when hunting them down_

_Nothing . . . . . . . ._

"It's happened again?"

"Again! This is the fourth time this week! What the hell is wrong with this city? By the time the police figure out what's going on we'll all be dead!"

"Don't say that!"

"He's right. And do you know what's coming up in three days? Friday the thirteenth, and there's supposed to be a full moon out that night. I heard the vampires always come out when there's a full moon."

"That's bull-shit! Only werewolves in horror stories come out when there's a full moon. Vampires come out at any time at night. I say we go inside and lock the doors at sun down. They never go out when the sun is up and as long as we don't invite them in to our homes, we'll be alright."

"Someone has been watching too much Salem's Lot."

"You shut the hell up! It's either that or hire a team of Vampire Hunters, and we don't want what happened in Nagasaki to happen to us."

"What happened in Nagasaki?"

"Some Vampire Hunters staked a four year old girl 'cause they thought she was a vampire. I heard they were run out of the city by a mob of people carrying shotguns."

"What is this world coming to?"

Miyu sat at a table nearby listening to the endless chatter of the high school boys. She had heard of the little girl that had been staked. In fact, she had been the one who found the body in an alleyway. She had also been the one that had taken it to the police station. Luckily, she had been the only Vampire Hunter that hadn't been run out of Nagasaki. No one ever suspected her as a Vampire Hunter, probably because she didn't look like a gang member.

But she was a Vampire Hunter even though she didn't look it.

Her brunette hair, tied with a red ribbon, was pulled to the side of her head in a neat bun with a long tail of hair that ended just above her waist. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans, torn at the knees, and a black tank top with one strap to hold it on. A vampire she had slayed a couple of weeks back had cut the other strap. It was a chilly October afternoon so she wore a long black sweater coat.

She had come to Kyoto to investigate a vast amount of murders in the area and to see if a vampire was involved. Most likely it was a vampire, but sometimes it was just foul play by some psychotic serial killer.

All the victims had disappeared at night. All of the victims claimed they had met a man or a woman that they were going out with. And all of the victims were beautiful and full of energy. All of the victims accept for one.

The latest victim had disappeared during the day. She had been a freshman student attending the Kyoto Junior High School. The school had called her parents to inform them that their daughter, Bianca, had not shown up at school that day and, in fact, she had been cutting classes lately. Some students reported that they had seen her with a young red head boy, possibly an upper classman at another school. Her parents immediately called the police to report her missing. That evening a farmer, harvesting his crops, found her body, drained of blood, lying face down in a ditch.

The autopsy showed two holes in the side of her neck, fang marks, and a black lipstick kiss on her cheek. The vampire had loved her but not as much as her blood. The autopsy also showed that she had been two months pregnant. She must have known him for quite awhile before he killed her, which was unnatural for a vampire because most of the time they chose their victims and killed them in the same week that they were chosen.

There was another peculiar thing that occurred after her death. In fact, it was after her funeral. When the grave keepers lifted her coffin down in to the grave it was unnaturally light. They decided to open the coffin and when they did they found that Bianca's body was missing. The police concluded that it was foul play, grave robbers, who wanted the body for their own reasons, but Miyu thought differently.

It was possible that the red head vampire had gone back to claim the body, but why? What would a vampire do with a corpse it had already drained?

There were so many questions, most of them only a vampire would answer and she didn't want to go that far for the answers.

Miyu stood up from the table and walked out of the café. She didn't want the manager to get suspicious of her because she was sitting in his café doing nothing.

She walked down the half empty sidewalk towards downtown. It was normally busy at this time of day, when everyone was getting off from work, but today was different. Everything was different.

There were beings out there that only existed in horror stories such as the classic Dracula. But now, these beings existed in real life and they were hunting down real people and draining them dry of their blood. These undead beings, they had destroyed her life, and now she was one of the people who hunted and destroy theirs.

The sun was setting in the sky. Night would soon come and her night job would soon begin. Night was their world and night was a Vampire Hunter's vampire killing ground.

She pulled out a pair of black sunglasses from inside her sweater coat pocket. She always wore her sunglasses at night for some strange reason. Probably because it made her more mysterious and vampires only picked victims that interested them. She seemed interesting to them, until they figured out what she was and then the battle would begin.

She was waiting for the light to turn green so she could cross the intersection when she heard a scream from a nearby alleyway.

She ran down the sidewalk towards the alleyway. When she entered the alleyway she found a young woman, around the age of twenty-one lying face down on the pavement. Standing over her was a tall black-cloaked figure, the hood of his cloak pulled over his face.

"Vampire!" Miyu shouted. She reached inside her sweater coat and pulled out a wooden stake that she kept tied to her back.

The vampire didn't bolt like the others normally did. He stood there almost as if he were interested in what she was about to do.

Miyu stood still but braced herself just in case the vampire decided to come at her. They stood that way until Miyu heard in the distance police sirens coming their way that was when the vampire decided to bolt.

He ran to the end of the alleyway and in one gracefully movement, jumped the ten-foot fence that stood in his way. Miyu ran after him and quickly climbed the fence and landed on the other side.

He stood there waiting for her. He was obviously leading her on but she ran after him keeping that fact in her mind. He ran, always stopping every so often to make sure she was right behind him.

What was he up too? Was he planning something? He came to an abrupt stop in front of the closed gates of Kyoto Park. She stopped a couple of yards away from him. He waited for a moment then jumped up on the tall brick wall, just like he had jumped the fence the ally, and disappeared.

Miyu wasn't sure if she should go after him or not. This vampire obviously knew whom he was dealing with, but he also knew what he was doing. It was as if he had planned it all ahead of time. But when Miyu found a vampire she always went after it no matter what, but she also knew, unlike the other Vampire Hunters, when to call it a day. If the vampire wanted her that badly then he would show up again.

'I'm not going to play your game, not today,' she thought as she turned around and walked away.

When her back was turned the vampire jumped up on the wall and watched her intently. Then he picked up a broken piece of the wall that lay next to him and threw it.

Miyu whirled around as the brick piece whizzed by her head and crashed against a nearby trashcan, leaving a large dent in it. She looked up at him and glared. What did this vampire want? He obviously wanted her attention, and he got it.

She didn't want to go running in to his trap, but she also didn't want him following her everywhere. She picked up a piece of the broken sidewalk and hurled it up at him.

He held up his hand, covered with a black leather glove, and caught the piece of concrete. He closed his hand around it and crushed it, letting the dust slip between his fingers.

Miyu watched him, and he watched her. They could have stood there for hour without moving when he disappeared in to thin air.

Miyu ran to the gate and looked in. He was nowhere on the other side of the wall. She scanned what she could see of the park. Nothing. He had completely vanished.

But he would be back Miyu knew that for sure. When or where, she didn't know. All she knew was that he would be back.

And she was right.

To Be Continued. . . . . .

BlueDragonGirl#1: First chapter, third story, and BlueDragonGirl#2 is still stuck thinking up ideas for her first story.

BDG#2: Ok that is just mean! Out of both of us, you are the evil BlueDragonGirl. And were not even related!

BDG#1: I'd do an evil laugh but I choked the last time I did.

BDG#2: Ha ha! That was funny.

BDG#1: (Smacks her across the back of her head) Ha ha! Knocking you out is even funnier. Ok everyone! It's time to R&R.


	2. Day Vampire

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter 

Chapter 2. Day Vampire

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Princess Miyu. This story has no relation to Vampire Hunter D, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or Underworld. The poem I made up.

_The day is no longer their enemy_

_Is there anything left that can stop them?_

_These beings of darkness_

_Will they ever cease to exist?_

_No. . . . . . _

_They will always be there_

_In our minds, and in our lives_

Miyu sat on a bench in Kyoto Park, tearing off pieces of bread from her sandwich and throwing it out for the many pigeons to nibble on.

It had been three days after the incident with the vampire. Since then, there had been no sign of him. No disappearances, no dead bodies found drained of blood, no nothing.

She was beginning to wonder if he was waiting for her to find him. She had thought that if he had wanted her that badly then he would come looking for her. Did he really want her to hunt him down?

Miyu stood up. She had to get going if she wanted to make it back to the high school in time for fifth period without anyone noticing that she had left the school. She walked towards the park entrance.

As she walked, she thought more and more about the vampire that she paying any attention to where she was going and accidentally bumped in to a man who's back was turned to her.

Miyu stumbled backwards. "Excuse me," she said. "I'm sorry. I should have been paying attention to where I was going."

"That's alright," the man said.

Miyu couldn't help but stare. He was so beautiful. His blue hair and crystal blue eyes made him look so unique, so mysterious, so. . . . . . . .

"Are you alright miss?" he asked.

Miyu shook her head. "I'm fine," she said quickly. How foolish of her to let herself stare at him. She felt so immature. 'Keep dreaming Miyu,' she thought. 'This guy is at least twice as old as you and anyway, you're a Vampire Hunter. Would anyone really want to date a Vampire Hunter?'

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her ear. "The park isn't that scary at night," he hissed. His voice was harsh and cold. "Especially when there is a full moon out. Unless you believe in those silly humane superstitions."

Miyu pulled away from him. He was a vampire. The same one that had taunted her three days ago, but how was it possible? He was out in broad daylight in a public place.

"Don't look so baffled Vampire Hunter," he said as he turned and walked away leaving Miyu in shocked silence.

Had she been right? Bianca's body had disappeared during the day by, who Miyu thought, was the red-haired vampire. If this vampire was out in broad daylight then that would make it possible for other's to be out also. Miyu looked around her. That made everyone a suspect.

'Full moon. Humane superstitions,' Miyu thought then it came to her. Today was Friday the thirteenth. He wanted her to come to the park tonight. At what time and why he wanted her to come, she had no clue. All she knew was that she would be ready.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

BlueDragonGirl#1: I know this chapter was a little boring but hey, there is always calm before the storm right? I promise that the next chapter will be much more exciting. R&R!!!


	3. Friday The Thirteenth

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter 

Chapter 3. Friday The Thirteenth

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Princess Miyu; now please point all guns away from my head!!! (Poem I made up as usual)

_Friday the thirteenth. . . . ._

_Mysteries surround;_

_Dark magickal mysteries,_

_That keeps us mystified by our own wonder_

_Day or night; bad luck and misfortune will follow_

_No matter when, no matter where_

_No one escapes the curse of_

_Friday the thirteenth_

Miyu sat uncomfortably on a tree branch and watched as the sun slowly set in the west. She had been up in that tree for hours just waiting for everyone to leave the park. She had thought that it would not take that much time for everyone to leave considering that there were vampires out there that would drink their blood as if it were water.

She jumped down from the tree and landed on the well-maintained grass. She had no need to worry about the park's night patrol. They had all quit their jobs due to the vampire outbreak, afraid of being the next vampires' victim.

She walked slowly down the path towards the center of the park. She was not quite sure where the vampire would be. He could be anywhere considering the fact that he had been out in broad daylight in a public place.

"_. . . .Especially when there is a full moon out. . . ._" he had said to her. She figured that he would come when the full moon came up.

Miyu sat down on the edge of the water fountain, the centerpiece of the park, and waited. When the sun disappeared over the hill the streetlights flickered on, and still she waited.

She looked at her watch after what seemed to be an eternity of waiting. 9:30. She had only been waiting for two hours. She stood up and paced back and forth in front of the fountain.

Another hour went by. 10:30.

Every sound she heard, leaves rustling, a cricket chirping, any sound attracted her attention.

"Calm down Miyu," Miyu ordered herself. "Don't get so jumping. Just stay calm." But she could not seem to calm herself down. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest; hear it pounding. Anyone could have heard her heart pounding; even a vampire.

Another hour went by. 11:30.

She watched as the full moon rose up in the sky. In another thirty minutes it would be centered in the sky. She rubbed her eyes. A vampire hunter was supposedly supposed to act like a vampire. Hunt by night. Sleep by day. Not Miyu. She hunted by night and went to school by day. She only got a couple hours of sleep after school and before hunting time began.

On this particular night she had gotten no sleep at all. She had stayed at the park the rest of the afternoon up in a tree, hidden from everyone, hoping that no one would notice that she had never left the park.

Now it was finally taking its toll on her, but she could not fall asleep. It would make her easy prey for a wandering vampire.

She cupped her hands and splashed water onto her face from the fountain. It was cool and refreshing, but it did not help much. She was not sure how well she could fight against a vampire half awake.

Finally 12 midnight rolled around and the pale moon rose to its position in the sky, shining its light on the whole park.

She waited, but no one came. The whole park was silent. Not even one cricket chirped. She was not sure if she should give up and go home or wait a couple more hours. She looked around her. She saw no one.

But that did not mean that no one was there. . . . . . . . . .

A black figure, perched upon the outstretched arms of an angel statue, watched as Miyu sat and waited in the light of the full moon. He was some distance away from her so she could not easily spot him. Vampire hunters were supposedly very alert, or so he had heard.

"I knew I would find you here." Another figure wearing a dark forest green cloak appeared out of the darkness.

"Why did you follow me Kyroku?" the figure asked. "Don't you have a wife and child to attend too?"

"I do," Kyroku replied. "Just doing a little hunting, but I left the cavern to see what you have been up too." He spotted Miyu sitting on the edge of the water fountain. He frowned. "Since when have you had tastes in Vampire Hunters?" he asked. "Their blood is no good. Leave her alone or just kill her and leave her carcass out here to rot."

"I am not interested in her blood," the figure replied.

Kyroku eyed him suspiciously. "Then, why are you interested in her?" he asked. "You have been following her for so long. Humans are just worthless beings. The only thing of interest that they have is their blood."

The figure turned his head towards him. "Do not forget Kyroku," he said sharply. "Your wife was once human."

"She was different," Kyroku said. "This one is a Vampire Hunter."

"Be gone Kyroku!" the figure hissed harshly. "You are not needed here."

Kyroku shrugged. "I just hope that you know what you are doing." He turned and disappeared.

The figure turned back to watching Miyu and spotted a man, about in his mid-forties, quickly moving towards her, a double-barrel shotgun was strapped to his back.

'This should be interesting,' the vampire thought.

Miyu stood up and was ready to take her leave when she heard something click. She turned around only to have a double barrel pointed at her head.

"Don't move Vampire Hunter," the man holding the shotgun said harshly. "Don't move or else I'll pump lead into your skull." He pushed the cold steel up against her head.

Miyu stood perfectly still. "What do you want?" she asked as calmly as she could but the anxiety was noticeable in her voice.

"Shut your mouth you devil!" the man yelled. "You slayer. Your kind killed my daughter. Shoved a stake into her small heart. She is dead because of you!"

"I didn't kill her," Miyu said hoarsely. Her throat was dry, the palms of her hands sweating. She had no idea how to deal with this. She had never had a gun pointed this close to her before.

"I said shut up!" The man struck her across the head with the end of his gun. Miyu fell to her knees, her head throbbing, her vision blurred. She had no way of fighting back. This man was completely over come with grief and anger; it completely blinded him.

The man shoved the barrel off the gun under her breast. "I wonder if you Vampire Hunters even have hearts," he said. "Or are you just as cold and blood thirsty as the ones you hunt."

"Stop this right now!" Miyu begged. She pulled out a switchblade from her pocket and slashed at the man's leg, cutting into his flesh then she quickly got away from gunpoint. The man let out a cry of pain and pulled the trigger to the gun. The gun fired and the bullet hit the concrete water fountain. Water began to stream out of the crack that it had created.

"Damn bitch!" he yelled. He fired off another round and missed her because of poor aim.

Miyu dived behind the water fountain as the man fired off round after round at it, blowing off pieces of concrete. She brought her knees to her chest and covered her head with her hands to protect herself from the flying concrete. Her head throbbed even worse after he had fired his last round. She heard a hollow clicking sound notifying her that he hand exhausted his ammunition.

She slowly looked up over the ledge of the shattered fountain. The man stood there fiddling with his gun as if trying to find extra bullets that had not been fired.

She knew she had to run. This man was more dangerous then any vampire she had faced down before. She heard the gun click again. She had been wrong. His ammunition supply had not been exhausted. He had brought extra rounds just in case he needed them.

"Come on out Vampire Hunter!" he yelled. He fired one round at the fountain. "You can't hide from me!"

"Stop it!" Miyu yelled. "What are you going to get out of killing me? Your daughter isn't going to come back, even if you kill every Vampire Hunter in Japan."

There was only silence. Miyu wondered if the man was contemplating what she had said. She risked a glimpse over the ledge.

The man was gone.

Miyu shifted so she was on her knees and raised herself up slowly. She looked everywhere. The man had completely vanished. She stood up. Was it possible that he had left?

Suddenly, the man rose up from the other side of the fountain. "Gotcha Vampire Hunter!" He pulled the trigger and two bullets fired out of the gun.

Miyu had no time to duck, no time to run. Both bullets struck true, hitting her abdomen with enough velocity that they both burst out of her back.

Miyu gasped. She pitched forward and blood spewed out of her mouth. She wrapped her arms around herself trying to stop the blood from seeping out of her body. She heard the gun click again. The man was going to fire another round to finish her off. She fell to her knees. It did not matter if he fired that last round or not; she was finished for sure anyway.

Suddenly there was a flash and something swooped in from out of nowhere and struck the man. She heard the sound of flesh being torn apart, a sound that she was quite familiar with being in the vampire hunting business. She heard the man scream as he struggled and tried to get away from his attacker, but all in vain. When his screams finally stopped she heard the sound of his body hitting the ground and then there was silence.

She forced herself up on to her feet and stumbled over to where the man had stood behind the water fountain.

There was hardly anything left of his body. The whole thing was a bloody, mutilated mess. Body parts were scattered everywhere, the head had been decapitated from the body and sat like a weight on the bottom of the half empty fountain. This had been the work of a vampire. She looked away. She had not seen something this gruesome in all the years that she had been vampire hunting. She did not even think that vampires would murder a human without draining them first.

She turned away from the bloody heap and struggled to walk away towards the entrance of the park. Every step she took sent a wave of pain through her body and caused the blood to flow out even faster. She bit her lip to keep the cries of pain from escaping.

Suddenly, she heard the high-pitched shriek of the police sirens coming towards the park followed by a similar sound of an ambulance's sirens. Someone living near the park must have heard the sound of the gun shots and called the police.

Miyu turned around from the park gate and ran. She ran no matter how much it hurt. She had to get away. She did not want to be blame for the man's murder.

Everyone despised vampire hunters, even the police themselves. They did not consider vampire hunting civilized. Slowly the police began to refuse vampire hunters rights including the right for a fair trial. If Miyu told the police that the man had assaulted her with a gun and was killed by a vampire then they would most likely figure that she was a vampire hunter and blow off the rest of her story and arrest her. Then they would make up some story stating that the man had shot her because she was a vampire hunter but he only wounded her and out of rage she brutally slaughtered him. The end. The public would buy the whole thing no matter how stupid it sounded and she would be thrown in jail for the rest of her life.

But that could not happen if she could just get out of the park and back to her apartment where she would lay low until she got a hold of a doctor. She had heard of a couple of private doctors that made a living by taking care of vampire hunters when they were wounded on a hunt.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the blue and red flashing lights of the police patrol cars and ambulance outside of the park gate. She had to get out the park and fast.

The police officers got out of their cars and ran to the gate. Someone must have had the key to the gate because the gate swung open and the police officers swarmed in. There must have been twenty some police officers. They grouped up in pairs and spilt up to search the park.

Now she was screwed. All they had to do was find and follow the trail of blood she was leaving. That would lead straight to her. She had to find a way out of the park. She took off running again.

'At this rate I'm done for,' Miyu thought to herself. 'Why couldn't that vampire have finished me off too?'

Kyroku appeared once again beside the black figure. The hood to his cloak was turned down revealing his fiery red hair. He watched Miyu intently. "She's bleeding to death and yet she runs," he said amused. "Does she not know that she is running into death's arms? That stress on her body must be unbearable. Why don't you put her out of her misery?"

He did not reply.

Kyroku frowned. "I hate being ignored," he said gruffly.

"I thought I told you that you are not needed here? It seems more like you ignored me."

"The other vampires are expressing their concerns for you," Kyroku said.

"They have no need to worry about me. Tell them I will return when my business is finished here."

"When exactly will that be?" Kyroku asked. "And what business do you have with a vampire hunter." He pointed towards Miyu. "She is going to die! Can't you see the blood? You might as well take care of that business with her right now while she is still conscious."

"There is no need to rush."

"What?" Kyroku asked.

They were both silent. In that moment of silence they heard the yells of the police officers. They had just found the man's grossly, mutilated body lying in a bloody heap in front of the fountain.

"You can't be serious?" Kyroku said. "The elders will never allow it."

"I do not care what they think."

"But a vampire hunter? Even the idea of it is insane. Are you out of your. . . . . ."

"Silence!"

"No!" Kyroku shot back. "You must hear me out first! You are wasting your time with her, and you will be wasting even more time if you go along with your insane plan!"

"I have all the time in the world Kyroku. Do not forget that."

Kyroku sighed. It was no use. He could not sway his friend's opinion. "Very well," he said. "Do what you wish, but I'm warning you right now. The elders are going to be on your back when they find out about this." With that, he turned around and disappeared.

The figure stood up. It was time.

Miyu collapsed upon the cold, grassy ground gasping for breath. She was tired, and her whole body felt as if it were on fire with pain. She buried her face in to the cold grass but if provide very little relief for the pain she was experiencing.

She could hear the yells of the police officers calling for one another. They had found the man's corpse or at least what was left of it. They would be stuck trying to identify him for weeks. At least their discovery wouldrkeep them occupied for a little while.

Miyu tried to get up but instead she violently pitched forward and vomited blood. She coughed and managed to push herself up to her knees. The movement caused her to vomit even more blood on to the ground. She was surprised that the noise she was making did not alert the police officers.

She gasped for breath as she forced herself to stand. There was no way she could get back to her apartment and lay low for a couple of days while the police tried to find out what had happened to the man. She was not even sure if it was possible for her to even make it out of the park.

Her knees buckled and she fell forward to the ground. This was the end for her. There was no way she could escape her fate now.

Her eyelids slowly began to close. Was this death? She was not sure. She had never experienced it before. She could feel everything fading away. The pain, the sound of the police officers, the bright streetlights, the feeling in her arms and legs, everything just faded away.

What will happen when she goes to the other side? Would she be damned to hell because she killed vampires even though they were supposedly the devil's children? Would she see her parents if she got to go to heaven?

"Mother. Father," Miyu whispered with her last breath. Then her eyelids closed and her body grew still.

She did not hear the shouts of the police officers when they found her body lying on the ground. By then it had been two hours after she had past on.

After searching her clothing and finding the stake tied to her back they concluded that she was a vampire hunter but they never accused her of murdering the man whose corpse they could not identify.

They did not bother doing an autopsy. They concluded that she had bled to death because of being shot in the abdomen.

So they did not find the teeth marks on the back of her neck. . . . . . .

To Be Continued. . . . . .

BlueDragonGirl#1: Chapter 3 is up! Yay!! I told you this chapter would be good! Now you guys have to review and tell me how much you love it! (And me. Hee hee hee! Just kidding.) **R&R!!!!!!!**


	4. Not So Dead After All

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter

Chapter 4. Not So Dead After All.

Disclaimer: I do not (at least, I don't think I do) own Vampire Princess Miyu. You would actually think I would get bored of writing that by now wouldn't you? The poem was made up by yours truly. (Me. Duh!)

_Pain. . . . . . _

_I feel the pain as is rushes through my body_

_Death. . . . . ._

_I feel death's cold hands come upon me, pulling me under_

_Darkness. . . . ._

_All I see is darkness swallowing me up like a black hole_

_Then I feel someone come up from behind me_

_Who's there?_

_Suddenly, I am filled with a dark warmth_

_So frightening yet so welcoming_

_Sweet darkness surrounds me_

_When will I wake up?_

Note: This chapter has some religious prayers in it because there is a funeral going on. I am not familiar with Japanese burial ceremonies so the funeral is based on Western culture. Please do not criticize me.

It had been two weeks since Miyu's death and now that everything had been settled and every paper filed at the department of homicides it was time to finally put her to rest.

The family of the man who had shot Miyu had planned the funeral. It was to be a simple funeral but it would get the job done. It was hard for the family to plan a funeral for someone they did not know, but they felt that it was the least that they could do.

They chose a cemetery that had a beautiful view of the sunset and that was always well taken care of. In the spring there would be beautiful flowers that lined the base of the black iron fence that enclosed the cemetery and in the fall the ground would be covered with red, orange, and yellow leaves that fell from the trees.

An old priest and the police chief, who had found Miyu's body, stood next to each other by the freshly dug grave and waited for the hearse carrying her body to arrive.

"Sure was a shame. She was so young," the police chief said to the old priest. "That asshole must have been insane to have shot such a young thing. Excuse me for saying this father, but I am sure glad that, that guy is dead."

"I know," the priest said solemnly. He turned to face the police officer. "You had no luck finding any of her family members?"

The police officer shook his head gravely. "Not even a cousin called to place a claim. We sent a notice to every home in Japan and it was all over the news. It would be hard for anyone not to know of it. But we did get some calls from a couple of schoolteachers of hers. We still didn't learn much about her though. The only thing of any use we really learned was her name. Miyu, I think it was, but ever teacher gave us a different last name. She must have traveled a lot before she died."

"Couldn't you have tracked her through the schools she had attended?" the priest asked.

The police chief nodded. "We did," he said. "The first school she attended is located about twenty miles or so away from here. We assumed she lived somewhere near there."

"And still you found nothing?" the priest asked.

"Nope," the police officer replied. "We went in and asked around the town, but no one claimed that they knew her."

"That is strange but believable," the priest said. "Of course, I believe anything now that the devil's children have resurfaced from the depths of hell." He made the sign of the cross. "I pray to God every hour hoping that our savior will come once again and rid the world of all evil."

The police chief looked at his watch. "It's almost time," he said. He looked up. He could see the black hearse parked at the entrance of the cemetery. Four men got out and opened the back of the hearse and carefully pulled out a dark mahogany coffin. He watched as the four men and the coffin made their way carefully through the cemetery towards him and the priest.

The priest sighed. "I guess this is it," he said. He opened his black covered bible with a gold cross printed on the front to a marked page. "This is the first person I've put to rest in years who has not been killed by a vampire."

(-)

There were quite a lot of people gathered around the mahogany coffin waiting for the funeral to start. Almost everyone from the family of the man who had shot Miyu stood there waiting for the funeral to start. They all stood around the coffin not wanting to believe that someone from their family had murdered such a young girl.

The priest looked around and then began the ceremony. He took out a bottle of holy water from his pocket and sprinkled it on the coffin, around the grave, and on the gravestone. He put the bottle of holy water back into his pocket and began to read from his bible.

"Lord God, bless this grave and send your angels to watch over it and to protect it from anyone who may try to corrupt it. Lord hear our prayer."

The group answered in unison. "Lord hear our prayer."

"As we bury the body of Miyu, wash away her sins oh Lord and welcome her into your presence and let her rejoice with you forever and ever. Lord hear our prayer."

"Lord hear our prayer," the group said solemnly in unison.

"Lord God, do not judge her my the wrong things she had done in her life but by the good things she had done. Lord hear our prayer."

Once again the group replied in unison. "Lord hear our pray."

The priest looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were beginning to gather over the cemetery. It looked as if a large storm was coming but that was impossible. When he had checked the weather report it said nothing but sunshine for the next two weeks but of course the weather report could have been wrong. He decided that it would be best to hurry through the ceremony. The gravediggers still had to bury the coffin and they would probably appreciate it if they did not have to do it in the middle off the pouring rain.

"Let us pray," he continued. "Our Father, who art in heaven. . . ."

Suddenly, thunder boomed over their heads and everyone looked up startled. The priest looked up but then looked back down at his book and continued where he had left off. ". . .hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and. . . ."

Suddenly, lightning struck a gravestone only twenty feet away from where the priest stood. Surprised, the priest dropped his bible into the grave. Thunder boomed again and then the rain began to fall from the black clouds in sheets.

The police chief came over to where the priest stood. "Is it possible that you can wrap it up and end the ceremony now?"

The priest sighed. "I do not like cutting funerals short," the priest said, "but if the family who planned the funeral should suggest that we cut it short then. . . ."

Just then a young man walked up to the priest. He formally bowed to both of them in turn and then faced the priest. "We wished to ask that you conclude the ceremony quickly Father," the young man said. "We are getting worried that a large storm might be coming."

"Of course," the priest said then he continued where he had left off with the pray. ". . .and forgive us for our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen."

"Amen," the now soaking group replied.

The priest made the sign of the cross over the coffin and concluded the ceremony. The family members all bowed and turned to make their way quickly to their cars to get out of the rain.

They were in such a rush that they didn't even notice the man standing by the cemetery entrance watching. Never taking his eyes off of Miyu's coffin.

(-)

_'It's so dark. Where am I?'_

Miyu's thoughts echoed in her mind as she forced her eyelids open. It was so hard to keep them open. It was as if someone or something was pushing them down, trying to keep her from waking up.

_'What happened? Am I dead?'_

She heard a faint mumble. She strained to hear what was being said but could only make out a few words.

". . . .bless this grave and send your angels. . . . . ."

A prayer. She could hear someone praying. And it was so dark. She had to be dead. There was no other explanation. It was so dark and cold. There was no feeling in her body. Was she in hell? No, there were no flames, no demons. Then where was she? Limbo?

She tried to move, but her body was so numb. Her whole body felt as if it had been turned from light flesh to heavy lead. What was she going to do? Everything was a giant blur. What had happened? All she could remember was a park and. . . . . .

Blood. Lots of it. Red, warm, blood. Flowing down her legs and spilling out onto the ground, dying the green grass red. Sirens blaring, the fear, the feeling of the cold ground against her body then. . . . .then. . . . .

Silence. . . . . .Darkness. . . . . . .Nothing.

Then something enveloped her. A strange dark sensation threatening to engulf her. The pain of the shotgun bullets was replaced with a sweet pain, a pain she had never felt before. Words could not be used to describe it. It was. . . . . . . .

"Lord hear our prayer."

Miyu fell from her thoughts and into reality. There were more people praying, but she could not see them. They were in the land of the living. In the light of the day.

"As we bury the body of Miyu. . . . . . ."

_'My name. How do they know my name?' _Then it finally dawned on Miyu. '_It's a funeral. My funeral.'_

A smile came across Miyu's lips.

_'They're having a funeral for me. A vampire hunter.' _The smile slipped from her lips. _'Then it must be true. I am dead.' _She closed her eyes. _'I'm dead, never to live again.'_

Her eyes slowly opened again. _'Then why am I thinking. Dead people can't think and why are my eyes open?' _Then a new revelation dawned on Miyu. _'I'm not dead. I'm still alive. And this funeral. . . .Oh no! They are going to bury me in this coffin and not even know that I am still alive. They are going to bury me alive!'_

Miyu could feel herself overcoming with fear. _'No! I can't be buried alive!'_

She tried to move her hands from her sides. Maybe if she knocked loud enough on the lid of the coffin someone would hear it and let her out, but her hands would not budge from where they were placed by her sides. She opened her mouth to try and scream but only a gurgling sound escaped her throat.

_'No no! I'm not dead! I'm alive! Please someone, let me out!'_ Miyu screamed in her mind. She was trapped inside this coffin, trapped inside her own body. What was she going to do?

She tried to move her body, hoping, just hoping that she could wake her body up in time before they buried her. Before they buried her. . . . .How much time did she have?

Suddenly, a loud crash like thunder sounded and she heard something hit the lid of the coffin. Pitter, patter, pitter, patter. She could hear the rain falling upon the coffin. Everything was quiet except for the sound of the rain. Then she heard two people talking. All she could hear was mumbling but was instantly horrified by what she was able to make out.

". . . . .end the ceremony now. . . . . . ."

_'No! No! Please don't end the ceremony now. Please help!'_ Panic took over Miyu's mind and she struggled to try and wake her body up from its deep sleep. _'Miyu you have to wake up!'_ She told herself mentally.

". . . . .forgive us from our trespasses. . . . ."

Miyu finally got her fingers to move. She kept flexing them fearing that they would stop moving again while she tried to get her feet to move. She tried to keep as calm as possible but the fear of being buried alive haunted her mind.

". . . . .as we forgive those who trespass against us. . . . ."

_'Just a little more time,'_ Miyu thought. _'Please just give me a little_ _more time!'_ She could finally move her toes inside of her boots. _'I'm almost there.'_

". . . . .and lead us not in to temptation. . . . ."

She could move her wrists and her ankles, but suddenly, she had become very tired. _'Why am I so tired all of a sudden?' _She could feel her eyes becoming heavy and almost closed them but her eyelids snapped back open. _'No! I can't go to sleep! I must keep trying!'_

". . . . .but deliver us from evil. Amen."

"Amen," she heard the others speak together in unison. She could hear them leaving. She could hear the sound of their shoes hitting the soaked earth as they quickly passed the coffin to get to their vehicles.

_'No! No! Come back! Please come back!'_ Miyu thought trying frantically to get the rest of her body to wake up. _'Don't leave me here!'_ She could feel the tears coming to her eyes. _'I'm afraid. Please come back!'_ It was the first time Miyu had ever allowed herself to admit that she was afraid and now she felt weaker, defenseless, a small, lost child. _'Come back!'_ but everyone had left without looking back.

(-)

A couple of hours later after the rain had stopped, a rusty white pick-up truck drove up the street that led up to the cemetary. It stopped in front of the black iron gate and two tall, shaggy men got out and walked to the back of the truck.

"This is a pretty shitty day to be burying coffins don't you think Bill," a man said pulling a large shovel out of the back of a rusty white pick-up truck. "You'd think that they could have planned the funeral on a day when it wouldn't rain."

"You got that right Jim," Bill replied. "Damn rich people. Probably think that this is the easiest job in the world but it's not." He pulled out another shovel and followed his friend through the cemetary. "I heard that they had to cut the ceremony short because that big storm came up."

"What a bunch of sissies," Jim said. "A little rain never hurt no one." His threw up his arm and cried out in a girlish voice. "I'm melting! I'm melting!"

Bill went into a huge fit of laughter. "I wouldn't be surprised if they did melt!" He scoffed. "So who we be burying?"

"Some little girl who got shot down by some crazy-ass old man," Jim replied. He looked around as if to make sure that no one was around and pull Bill close to him so that he could whisper into his ear. "I hear that she was a Vampire Hunter."

"No shittin'?" Bill asked.

"Not at the least," Jim said. "Not exactly what you'd think a little schoolgirl would be doing after school. Screwing around with that type of crap."

"Probably screwing the vampires in a great deal too," Bill said as they came to Miyu's coffin. "For someone they didn't know that rich family put in a lot of money on this coffin for some Vampire Hunting chick."

"Probably because they didn't want to become cursed or anything like that," Jim said. "Aw well. Let's get this job over with."

(-)

Miyu forced her eyes open. She could hear people talking again, two men. They were standing so close to her coffin she swore she could almost hear their heartbeats.

She tried to move but her arms and legs had fallen asleep again. She had not moved them since the funeral. She had stopped because she thought that no one was coming back. How could she have been so foolish? She should have known that her coffin still had to buried. She could have waken her body up by now. And now she was in the same position that she had been during the funeral. This could be her last change to get out alive.

"Let's get this job over with," one of the men said on the other side of the coffin lid.

_'Oh no!' _Miyu thought. _'No damn it! Don't bury the coffin!' _She could feel the men lifting the coffin up off the metal stand that held it. Surely it would take more then two men to lift the coffin into the grave.

"Damn it! This thing is heavy!" one of the men said.

"Oh quit you yapping!" the other man said. "It's only a little school girl."

"Damn schoolgirl's packin' some weight."

_'I resent that faggot!!!' _Miyu thought trying to wake her body up again.

"Oh damn! I'm going to drop it!" the man who complained that the coffin was too heavy said.

"Don't you dare!" the other man yelled.

"It's slipping!" The coffin suddenly fell into the grave with a loud thump and a cracking sound could be heard. Miyu was suddenly jolted foward as far as she would go and her head slammed against the lid of the coffin.

There was a moment of silence then through her dazed mind Miyu could hear the men quarreling and yelling curses at each other in fustration.

"Son-of-a-bitch! Look what you've done you clumsy bastard. Do you know we have to pay for any damage we do up here! Do you even know how much that coffin would cost to replace!" one of the men screamed.

"What they won't know won't hurt them," the man who had dropped his end of the coffin said. "Look at it! You can't even see any damage and besides who the hell is going to find out. I mean, they would have to dig up the damn coffin to find out and what's the chances of that happenin'?"

"If they do dig it up then you're taking all the blame," the other man mumbled. He picked up his shovel. "Well now that the coffin is in the ground I guess all we have to do it bury it."

_'No!' _Miyu thought. _'Don't bury the coffin!' _She struggled to try and free her body from the deep sleep it had fallen back into but this time her body would not respond to her desperate pleas.

"Let's start diggin'." she heard one of the men said then she heard a thump as one of the men threw a shovel full of dirt onto the coffin. They were already starting to bury her. Miyu's struggles to get her body awake began to become more desperate but her body gave no leeway.

The sound of dirt hitting the coffin lid became fainter and fainter as more and more dirt was shoveled into the grave. But still, Miyu could not move a single inch.

(-)

"Hey Jim," Bill said as he threw another shovel full of dirt into the grave. "Have you ever seen a dead vampire hunter?"

Jim stopped shoveling and thought for a moment. "Nahh! If they die then they were most likely killed by a vampire, and if they were killed by a vampire then the vampire probably ripped their body to shreds. Why?"

"I was just wondering," Bill replied. "I've never seen a vampire hunter before and certainly not a dead one." He paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next.

"And you want to see one?" Jim asked. "You want us to exhume the coffin, open it up and see what the dead lil' vampire hunter looks like inside?"

"Well. . .uh. . .yeah," Bill replied.

"Well then, let's get shoveling," Jim said. "I mean, if you really want to see what a dead vampire hunter looks like that badly."

"Ok," Bill said as they climbed in the half buried grave with their shovels.

(-)

Miyu closed her eyes and gave up all hope of ever getting out of the coffin. She could no longer hear the voices of the men nor could she hear the dirt hitting the lid of the coffin.

Suddenly, she could hear the sound of something metallic scraping against the lid of coffin.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" one of the men asked.

"What do you mean? You said you wanted to see what a dead vampire hunter looked like didn't ya?" the other man asked.

"Well yeah, but exhuming the coffin without a permit. Isn't that illegal?"

"Like you said before. What they won't know won't hurt them."

_'They are going to open the coffin. . . . .'_ Miyu thought plainly. Then it finally sunk in. _'They are going to open the coffin and let me out! When they open the coffin, they'll realize that I'm not dead and let me out!'_

"Ok. We've got all the dirt shoveled out," one man said. "All we need to do is get this lock off."

"But won't we have to carry the coffin out of the grave first before we unlock it?"

"What does it matter? All we are going to do is open the coffin, look inside, shut the coffin, and bury it. No one will know that we broke the lock." He brought the edge of his shovel down hard on the brass lock.

Miyu's ears rang as he kept slamming the edge of the shovel onto the lock but she did not care if her ears were ringing. They were going to let her out and finally she would be free from her coffin.

(-)

As Jim pounded away at the lock on the coffin, a sudden silence gain Bill's attention. He looked up and looked behind him. Jim noticed him and stopped pounding at the lock.

"What's wrong?" Jim asked.

"Listen," Bill said.

They listened for a moment.

"What do you mean listen?" Jim asked. "There's nothing to freakin' listen too."

"Someone is watching us," Bill said. "Someone is here in the cemetary watching us dig up the coffin."

"Oh bullshit!" Jim said. "There ain't no one here. You're just paranoid!" He turned back to breaking the lock. "You were the one who wanted to see the vampire hunter. You aren't chickening out now are you?

"No," Bill replied.

Suddenly, the lock broke and they stood still for a moment, keeping absolutely quiet. Jim looked around to make sure that no one was watching them, then he motioned to Bill. "Help me get this open."

Bill climbed into the grave next to Jim.

"Finally we can see what this vampire bitch looks like," Jim said.

They threw open the coffin lid but they could not see anything. Only blood and darkness.

(-)

_'What's happening?' _Miyu thought. _'Why is it so quiet all of a sudden?'_

Suddenly, the lid to the coffin flew open and Miyu was blinded by red blood that spilled out upon her. Before she closed her eyes she glimpsed the bodies of two men falling to the ground in a heap of ragged flesh.

She wanted to run, but her body would not move. Something pulled her out of the coffin and she was enveloped in someone's arms.

She was so fightened. She could not fight back against the fiend that had such a strong hold on her.

And then a voice whispered into her ear. _'Sleep young one. I will tell you when it is time to wake up.'_

Then everything became black and Miyu fell into a deep sleep.

To Be Continued. . . . . .

BlueDragonGirl#1: Sorry it took so long to update I had a ton of stuff to do at school and I am sorry to say it but school has to come first before fanfiction writing. It really sucks. And I was sort of holding this chapter hostage because no one reviewed my latest update for Vampire Princess Miyu: To Change The Future. sob But I am really grateful for the wonderful response to Miyu: The Vampire Hunter so I hope you all continue to read it. **R&R!!!!!!!!**


	5. Awakening

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter 

Chapter 5. Awakening

Disclaimer: I, BlueDragonGirl1, do not own Vampire Princess Miyu, but I do own the poem. Anyone who tries to copy it or any of my other poems shall feel my wrath come down upon them!

The following people I would like to thank for RRing this fanfic: Loopypants, TheBloodyBlackRoseofHiei, Cecilia, Jonathan Cairns, Michelle, Secret, Teresa, Jemi, Kou Kepani, Shaeya Sedjet, Dark Phoenix, HEERO MAXWELL1,Vampireclyde, pbj, MeatwaD9021, Night of the Raven, Kaori Angel, shadowsoul51, and anyone I may have forgotten. I am very grateful for your responses to my fanfic and I hope that you will continue to read it.

I would also like to thank my friend Owen (Mence Hanen) for helping me transfer the second part of this chapter from my imagination into words.

_I glimpsed the world of light_

_But only for a moment_

_Then I was thrust back into darkness_

_Where I was told to sleep_

_By whom? I do not know_

_But his voice was soft and cold_

_Just like his hands as he pulled me towards him_

_In the arms of this vampire I rest_

_And wait for my time to wake up_

_When . . . . . ?_

_That is for him to decide_

"Miyu. Honey, come on. Your dinner is getting cold," Miyu's mother called to her from downstairs in the kitchen.

"I'll be down in a little bit, mom!" Miyu called back from her room.

Miyu's mother sighed. Miyu rarely ate dinner with her and her father anymore. Her mother picked up her plate and a glass of milk and carried it upstairs. When she was outside of Miyu's room, she gently knocked on the door.

"Miyu, may I please come in?" her mother asked gently pushing the door open.

A thirteen-year-old Miyu sat at her desk on the other side of the room pouring over one of her school textbooks. She did not even look up when her mother placed her dinner down next to her.

"Miyu, I would like to talk to you for a moment," her mother said as she took the textbook and closed it. Miyu turned and looked at her. "I am worried about you Miyu."

"What for?" Miyu asked. "I'm just studying for my high school entrance exams."

"Yes. I understand that you are studying for your high school entrance exams and I am glad that you are taking it seriously. Your father and I are very proud of you Miyu, but we are afraid of what consequences this stress might have on you after the tests are over. You have shut yourself in your room every night for over six months now studying and it's just," she paused. "There have been so many stress induced suicides taking place because of the large amount of stress it takes to prepare for this test and we don't want you to go over the edge."

"I'm fine," Miyu said staring at the pile of textbooks on top of her desk that she still had to look over. "The test is tomorrow. All I'm doing is a little reviewing and . . . . . ." Miyu's mother raised her hand to cut her off.

"No Miyu," her mother said. She wrapped her arms around Miyu and hugged her. "You haven't eaten much over the past months and it's showing, even if you can't tell. Your father and I have watched you day after day, getting thinner and paler. We fear for your health."

"You're that worried?" Miyu asked.

"Yes," her mother replied. "Miyu, it doesn't matter what high school you go to, as long as you get a good education and become what you truly want to be."

Miyu could feel tears forming in her eyes. "It doesn't matter?" she asked. "You really don't care?"

"No Miyu," her mother replied. "All we care about is you. Even if you get the highest or the lowest scoring, we will always be proud of you."

Miyu pulled away and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Thank you mom," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

Her mother smiled. "Now you eat your dinner," she said as she got up to leave the room. When she was standing at the doorway she added. "And if I come up here and see you pouring over one of those textbooks you're grounded."

Miyu smiled and laughed. "Whatever you say mom," she said.

Her mother left the room, closing the door behind her. Miyu turned back around and began to pack the books in one by one into her backpack so that they would be ready to go when she got ready for school.

A gentle breeze ruffled her hair and Miyu looked up to find that her window was open. The white, laced curtains danced in the wind like a ghostly apparition.

Miyu shivered. She got up to close the window when she saw a black-cloaked figure floating outside, coming towards her window. She gasped and tried to push the window down but it would not budge.

The cloaked figure continued to move closer and closer, moving through the air with great ease, its black cloak billowing around it. A drifting fog was forming on the ground and the temperature seemed to plummet in a matter of seconds because soon Miyu began to shiver as goosebumps formed on her skin.

She gave up on the window and ran to the door. She grasped the handle firmly and tried to open the door. It would not open. Miyu braced her foot against the wall and pulled on the door handle as hard as she could.

Suddenly, the handle slipped through her fingers and she fell backwards onto the floor. The handle slowly faded into mist and a soft breeze blew in through the window, carrying the mist with it.

"What's happening!" Miyu said. She got up and began to pound on the door. "Mother! Father!" she yelled. "Help me!"

A dark shadow poured over her and she whirled around to face the black-cloaked figure standing in the middle of the room. Miyu pressed her back against the door as if to try and get farther away from the trespasser in her room. Her hand consciously felt for the door handle that no longer existed.

"What do you want!" Miyu demanded. A cold fear had settled down upon her, a fear that she had once felt before. The fear seemed to spread like an ice-cold liquid through her veins, branching out to every part of her body.

The figure moved towards her; reaching out to her with a deathly white hand, crowned with long, blood red nails.

"Get away from me!" Miyu screamed. Her hand, almost as if by instinct, move to her belt as if to fine some type of weapon. Some type of stake to pound into the beings heart, but she found none.

The figure proceeded, getting closer and closer until the tips of its nails were resting against her neck.

_'Don't look into its eyes,' _a voice whispered in the back of Miyu's mind. Miyu quickly adverted her gaze and focused her attention on the window, which was now closed.

"Hunter," a cold harsh voice whispered.

Miyu did not move. Even if she wanted to move she would not have been able to. She was frozen, frozen by her own fear. This being's touch had somehow frozen the very fear that flowed in her, keeping it from growing and yet keeping her from running at the same time.

_'You must get away!'_ the voice whispered in her mind, this time more urgent than before._ 'Get away! Don't let him take you!'_

Miyu struggled inside herself to get away, to try and break the spell that paralyzed her in one place. She kept her gaze strictly fixed on the window not even chancing a glance at the being the voice had referred to as 'him'.

_'Get away! Get away! Get away!'_ the voice chanted over and over again like a broke record. _'Do not surrender to him.'_

"Why do you look away from me hunter?" the being addressed her again. Miyu could feel the tips of his nail dangerously caressing her throat. Just one small movement would do it. One small motion and those nails could tear open her neck, letting the blood spew out onto the floor.

_'Get away,'_ the voice screamed. _'Do not let him touch you!'_

He stopped caressing her neck and firmly grasped her chin in his hand. He tilted her head up and she quickly closed her eyes to avoid eye contact.

Miyu began to shiver. His hand was so cold. The coldness seemed to seep straight through her skin and into her bones.

_'Do not look into his eyes,'_ the voice in her head cried but it seemed fainter now, not as strong as it once was.

"Open your eyes," he whispered. He voice was no longer cold and harsh but soft and melodic easing her fears. She felt the fear that had flowed through her body slowly begin to recede but she still could not move.

_'Do not look into his eyes,'_ the voice whispered weakly.

She was suddenly tempted to look into the eyes of this being that could sound so cold and harsh one moment but then was able to silence her fears and put her to ease the next. He seemed so inviting now, so caring. What harm would one small glance be? She slowly opened her eyes.

_'NOOOOOO!'_ the voice screamed almost as if in agony. An invisible being took her over and Miyu unwillingly threw herself to the floor. The being leaned forward and tried to pull her back but she moved away from him, out of his reach.

Miyu regained control and covered her ears with her hands to try and silence the voice's maddening screams echoing in the back of her mind. She scrambled to her feet and ran towards her bedroom window.

And desperately threw herself at it.

She crashed through the glass and fell into the dark fog below.

Screaming . . . . . . .

(-)

Falling . . . . .

Falling . . . . .

Falling . . . . .

Down what seemed to be an endless tunnel of darkness. Her scream echoed throughout the darkness as she fell even though she had ceased to scream moments ago.

Miyu wondered when she would hit solid ground. When her fragile body would be crushed by the immense force of hitting the surface at such a great speed, shattering her bones to pieces. Who would find her or would she lie there and rot, just a deformed, unidentifiable corpse?

Suddenly, the black of darkness opened up to midnight blue and the ominous waters swallowed her whole before she had a chance to fall into it.

She flailed her arms around desperately, trying to swim to the surface but the force of the dark waters pushed her down even deeper. She found herself unable to fight the forces that were working against her and she allowed herself to sink deeper and deeper into the most secluded part of her mind.

She was trapped with no hope of escaping. She was defenseless and at the mercy of some all-powerful being who held the key to her fate, a decision only he could make. Harsh voices whispered into her ears, sneering at her with masks of jealously and hate, tempting her with false sincerity and kindness, all of them attempting to break her down and tear her apart.

_'Wake up . . . . . .'_

_'No . . . . . .'_ she whispered weakly. She had no means of protecting herself, no way of fighting back. All of her strength seemed to be draining from her slowly, ever so slowly. She wanted to question her own sanity.

_'Wake up and rejoice in the fullness of the night . . . . . .'_

_'No . . . . . .'_

_'Welcome the night as your master who shall have its way with you . . . . .'_

_'No! Go away!' _Miyu screamed as the arms of darkness appeared and wrapped themselves around her, touching every sensitive part of her body. She squeezed her eyes shut hoping that all of it was a dream. A horrific nightmare that she would soon wake up from and find that everything was all right.

_'But what if it is not a dream and everything it real?' _a soft voice asked. _'Then what will you do? Will you stay here forever? Trapped in your own mind, your own body?'_

_'Who are you?' _Miyu whispered.

_'You have forgotten me?'_

_'Yes, and I want to forget everything?'_ Miyu replied. _'I want to forget who I am. I want to forget my past. I want to forget everything so that the hurt will go away. I am so tired. I just don't what to deal with it anymore.'_

_'Everything?'_

_'Yes,' _Miyu replied. The voices suddenly began to fade away leaving her with silence and the voice that whispered to her through the dark.

_'Then why won't you wake up?'_

_'Because I am afraid,' _Miyu whispered. _'Afraid of what I may become and he said that he would decide when I will wake up.'_

_'That is right. I am the only one who shall decide that. You are in no way capable of making that decision on your own.'_

_'Then why do you make me suffer!' _Miyu asked suddenly angered. _'Why do you torture me and mock me? What do you want from me?'_

The voice did not reply. The darkness was suddenly calm and the arms released her from their grasp and she waited. For how long she waited, she did not know but it seemed for an eternity.

She suddenly was come over by strange fits of unexplainable behavior where she would start to laugh hysterically for no reason at all one moment then fall into such a deep depression that she would claw at her wrists to try to get them to bleed. The endless darkness was driving her insane. Every moment she waited her fits would become worse and worse.

While she was suffering from one of her depression fits she was over come by such intense loneliness that she even wished that the voices would return to mock her again just so she had something to talk to.

_'I want to be released from this prison,' _Miyu moaned and she wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth. _'Please release me from this, this pain, this agony. I cannot bare it anymore. It's maddening.' _A sob suddenly escaped her throat. _'I want to wake up.'_

_'But I thought you did not desire to wake up?' _the voice asked suddenly reappearing from its hiding place in the dark.

Miyu was not startled by the voice's sudden reappearance. _'I don't care anymore,' _she cried. _'I don't want to stay here. I want to wake up. Please let me wake up.'_

There was a moment of silence and then the voice replied. _'It is not your time to wake up.'_

_'No!' _Miyu screamed. _'I can't stay here like this! Why won't you let me wake up? Why must you keep me here?'_

_'It is not your time,' _the voice replied as it began to fade away.

_'No! Don't leave me here! Please!' _Miyu begged. She reached out into the darkness as if to grab a hold of some invisible hand not expecting something to grasp hold of it. She gasped when a cold hand took a hold of hers. She almost pulled away but she forced herself to keep still.

_'You wish to wake up no matter what may be on the other side?'_

_'Yes!' _Miyu whispered. She was to afraid to ask what was on the other side, afraid that the hand would let go of her and leave her to suffer alone in darkness forever.

_'Then I shall bring you to the surface.' _A sudden pulse of energy filled Miyu's body and the darkness began to rush past her as she was pulled away from the ground as if she were falling into the sky.

As she was pulled away from the mysterious dark region of her mind she suddenly felt lighter and relieved, as if she had been released from the greatest burden of all.

_'I'm free,'_ Miyu thought as she closed her eyes.

To Be Continued . . . . .

BlueDragonGirl1: I finally finished this chapter. (Since my birthday is tomorrow this is my birthday present to all of you) Sorry for the wait everyone. I knew what I was going to write but I didn't know how to put it into words. I'm sure many of you have experienced that pain in the ass. (sigh) Thanks again Mence Hanen and all of you who have reviewed. RR!


	6. An Inhuman Betrayal

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter

Chapter 6. An Inhuman Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not own VPM. (Duh!) I own the poem. (Double duh!)

_I was then alive_

_And then I was dead_

_But now I am living dead_

_The world around me is no longer my friend_

_And the night is my new found savior_

Miyu's eyes snapped open when she felt the cold air touch her skin, sending tingling sensations running through her entire body. It was pitch black all around her with nothing to be seen but all to be heard. She could hear voices whispering all around; their words muffled by a barrier hidden in the blackness.

She had been risen to the surface where she laid on top of the cold waters but did not sink. She could feel something pressing on her back, holding her to the surface allowing the cold air to caress her cheeks.

She had been freed from her prison; awaken into the world, but into what world had she woken up in? She had lost track and sense of time. She did not know what day it was nor could she tell if it was day or night. How long had she been a captive of her own body? Weeks? Months? Years? Now what was she going to do?

Miyu lifted her hand up out of the water. The cold air pricked at it like sharp needles but she ignored the painful sensations and reached up. Her hand pressed up against something hard and flat like a door.

Was she still trapped inside the coffin at the cemetary? Could it even be possible that all she had been through had been a dream? When she knocked on the door above her, she received a hollow knock in return.

There was someone on the other side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There was a sharp screech, like rusted hinges rubbing together, and a seam of light seeped in. Miyu pushed both of her hands against the door and it flew open allowing the light to flood in around her, blinding her.

She sat up quickly and felt the blood rush up to her head, giving her a light headed feeling. She slowly opened her eyes but quickly closed them when the light hit her pupils. It was too bright.

"How pathetic," she heard someone say; the voice of a young male.

"You were never obligated to stand here and keep watch over her with me, Kyroku," another male said, Miyu predicted, whom was somewhat older.

Miyu reached out toward the sound of their voices and a cold hand gently grasped a hold of her hand. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her other hand and opened her eyes.

"YOU!" she growled when she saw the vampire she had met in the park. She quickly pulled her hand away from him.

"Larva," he replied casually.

"What!" Miyu asked.

"Larva, that is my name," he replied calmly.

"I do not care what your name is!" Miyu spat. "Where am I?"

"The cavern," he replied.

"A place where you should not be," Kyroku mumbled under his breath.

"A carvern?" Miyu said. She looked around her. She was in the middle of a fairly large cave with walls that glowed an artificial light luminating the entire space. She looked up and saw stalactites hanging down from the cathedral-like ceiling. Ground water dripped from the tip of each one falling down to the ground and slowly forming stalagmites on the floor.

"The cavern to be precise," Larva said, calling back her attention. "It is most likely the only one you shall find in Japan."

"So this is where you vampires hide?" Miyu asked.

He nodded. "Live to be exact," he corrected. "And it shall also be your home as well."

"NEVER!" Miyu protested.

"You have no choice, unfortunately for us," Kyroku said. "If you leave the cavern the sun will instantly kill you, but do what you wish. I'd actually prefer if you did leave the . . . ." Kyroku trailed off after receiving a sharp glare from Larva.

"And why exactly will I be killed by the sun?" Miyu asked, but she already suspected why. A pit of dread was already beginning to form in her stomach.

"Because your body no longer produces the chemicals that would provide protection for your skin from the sun's rays." Larva replied.

"You're dead," Kyroku said simply. "You are dead but yet you are living; the undead; a vampire. You have become one of the creatures you use to hunt vampire hunter!"

"Silence Kyroku!" Larva hissed.

"I. . . . .am not!" Miyu said slowly feeling the pit in her stomach grow larger, making her feel incredibly sick.

"Deny it if you wish," Kyroku said. "Your body has completely changed that is why you find it normal being unclothed, because as of now, your body is what is considered 'perfect'."

Miyu looked down upon herself and found that she was completely unclothed as he had said. This whole time her body had been under the mercy of their eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to cover herself.

"Kyroku leave us be," Larva commanded to the fiery tempered young man.

"As you wish," Kyroku mumbled and left them.

"I am not staying here," Miyu growled.

"Then where will you go?" Larva asked her. "I assume you have no idea where this cavern is located."

"It is in Japan, that is all I need to know," Miyu replied.

"Japan is a rather large country. Do you think you will be able to find somewhere else to live before sun rise?" Larva asked her.

Miyu glared at him only for the sole purpose of keeping the tears in her eyes from spilling down her cheeks.

"Although," he continued. "I could be wrong. You have proven before that you are quite strong. Chances are you might be able to find a place before the sun rises." He grinned. "But I will not guarantee that I will not come after you."

"The sun will kill you," Miyu shot back at him. "You're a vampire just like me."

"I'm so glad that you are able to admit that now," Larva laughed. Miyu's eyes widened when she realized what she had done and she lowered her head to keep him from seeing the rapid flow of tears that had begun to stream down her cheeks.

"You seem to have forgotten our little meeting in the park, haven't you Miyu? That is what you are called by correct?" He knelt under Miyu and looked up at her face. She tried to look away but he grasped her chin firmly between his fingers to keep her from doing so. "I and so many others like me have begun to grow an immunity to the sun's rays with the help of this water." He dipped his hand in to the water which Miyu had laid in and allowed it to slip between his fingers. "Your body has not absorbed enough of it to even give you temporary immunity of the rays. You'd simply burn up if you left the cavern now." He stood up and Miyu looked up at him. "But, if you wait just a little bit longer you'll be able to leave the cavern but only for a short amount of time before the temporary immunity wears off."

"How long is a little bit longer?" Miyu asked.

Larva thought for a moment. "Possibly seven more sun rises," he replied.

"Oh," Miyu whispered. _'The sooner the better,'_ she thought.

Larva turned around and picked up a dark package off of the top of a box shaped formation formed from the solidfied ground water that had dripped down from the stalactites above. "Put this on," he said handing it to her.

Miyu reluctantly took the package from him and he respectfully turned his back to her. She climbed out of the formation she had rested in and before opening the package that he had given her, she quickly turned around and took a good look at the solidfied ground water formation. It was box shaped, like a coffin, with a door that was made of the same material. She glanced around her and noticed that the entire cavern room was filled with the same box shaped formations. Each one, she assumed, filled with the water that gave the vampires immunity from the sun's rays. She turned her attention back to what she was suppose to be doing and tore off the dark paper and pulled out a long black velvet dress with a hood.

While she dressed she noticed that there were other vampires walking around. Some glanced over at her for a moment but then turned back to what they were doing. They made her even more aware of how defenseless she was in this situation.

_'What am I going to do?'_ Miyu asked herself. _'There seems to be no way out of this.'_

Larva turned around and looked at her. "It seems that you're ready," he said.

Miyu looked at him. "Ready for what?" she asked.

Larva shrugged. "That all depends," he replied. "I would assume that you want to explore the cavern."

Miyu frowned. "Only to find the exit," she mumbled.

Larva grinned. "You are so enthusiastic."

"Hardly," Miyu growled.

"Well, then," Larva said. "Follow me."

He lead her down a path between the formations of coffins neatly lined up in rows in between forming stalagmites. Miyu made sure to take in as much as she could about her surroundings. There was a chance that she would need it for further reference when it was time for her to escape.

Larva suddenly came to a halt and Miyu, not paying any attention, crashed into him. Larva looked back at her and then looked ahead of them.

"What's wrong?" Miyu asked.

Larva did not reply to her question. His eyes were locked on to some invisible object that lay ahead down a dark hallway in front of them. Miyu tried to look into the blackness but she could not see anything.

"There is something down there," Larva whispered.

"What?" Miyu asked.

Suddenly, the sound of a gun shot rang out through the cavern and a bullet whistled through the dark hallway and buried itself in to Miyu's shoulder. She gasped as she fell backwards, blood exploding from her wound. Larva glided over and caught her before she hit the ground and carried her away from the entrance of the hallway.

He set Miyu down on the ground and she desperately began to claw at her wounded shoulder, trying to remove the bullet that had penetrated deep in to her skin. More blood began to pour from her wound, drenching the dress she was wearing and staining her hands red.

It burned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The wound burned so bad, she felt as if she were on fire. Larva fell to his knees beside her and grabbed a hold of her hands to keep her from clawing at her wound. She struggled to get her hands free but Larva was too strong and refused to let go. He stared at the wound and saw to his surprised that the skin and muscle around the wound was burning away. He let go of her hands and dug his fingers in to the growing hole that the bullet had created and quickly plucked the shell out of her shoulder.

Miyu gasped but continued to claw at her wound. Even though the shell had been removed, the wound still burned.

Larva looked up and saw that the commotion had caught the other vampires' attention. He saw that a group of them were slowly moving towards the darken hallway.

Two more shots rang out and two of his neighbors fell to the ground clawing at their burning wounds. The group quickly dispersed and moved out of range of the invisible gun. Other vampires were coming up to see what was wrong but they kept their distance.

The pain in Miyu's shoulder became a dull ache and she slowly stood up next to Larva. "What's happening?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure," he said.

They watched as a blonde haired young vampire stood at the entrance of the hallway with a round shaped rock in his hand. When the next gun shot rang he dodged the bullet and threw the object in to the hallway. There was a loud explosion and a wall of smoke blew out from the entrance covering them all with dust.

A dark figure ran past them and dived over one of the coffin formations. The vampires turned towards it and it began to shoot at them.

_'This is complete pandemonium,'_ Miyu thought as she watched the vampires scatter and duck for cover from the fiery bullet. Larva grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a column before she narrowly got hit by another bullet.

"What the hell is going on!" Miyu demanded.

"It seems that we have an unhappy visitior," Larva hissed.

Miyu side stepped to look around the column but Larva pulled her back. "You must stay here," he ordered then he left her, running across the grounds at such an amazing speed that Miyu could not comprehend.

What was is that was causing such a disturbance? The bullets? She risked looking beyond the column to see the vampires running for covering as they tried to get closer to their target without getting shot. It was as if they had never seen the affect of those bullets before, and neither had she. Miyu looked at her mutilated shoulder. The hole which the bullet had gone in had stopped growing but what type of acid had caused it to grow in the first place.

Suddenly, a newly formed sixth sense told Miyu that she was not alone. She turned her head to find someone standing next to her, a tall man, dressed in camouflage and black army boats. He turned and looked shocked to see her standing next to him. In his hands he held a rifle, the compartment opened ready for reloading.

_'So he is the one causing all of this,'_ Miyu thought. A sudden sharp pain in her shoulder told her he was also the one who had caused her pain moments ago.

In a matter of seconds the man dropped his gun and pulled out a pistol, but also in a matter of seconds Miyu wrapped her small hands around his neck. The pistol fell from his hands as he struggled to breath.

It felt good. Miyu felt a sense of power fill her as she slowly tightened her gripped on the man's throat. He gasped and struggled, grabbing her hands, trying to get her to let go, but she was so much stronger then him. His face began to change colors which excited Miyu. From his lightly tanned skin color to red, to an even darker red, to purple. The brighter the colors got, the more excited Miyu became that she tighten her grip to make them change faster until his eyes rolled back into his skull and his head fell from his shoulders to the ground with a thud. Miyu let go and blood exploded from the hole where his head had been drenching her even more with blood. The body stood on its feet for but a moment and then joined its head on the floor.

The excitement, the feeling of power slowly drain from Miyu's body and she was suddenly brought back to where she was. She looked around her. The vampire's were staring at her, judging whether it was safe to approach her. Larva stood among them, a look of satisfaction on his face.

Miyu looked down upon what she had done and her body suddenly stopped responding. Her eyes refused to look away from the body, the person whom she had gotten so excited over killing.

Kyroku suddenly stood beside her, looking down upon her work. He smirked. "It seems that the vampire hunter has now become the human killer."

To Be Continued . . . . . .

BlueDragonGirl1: I had no idea how to end this chapter so I decided to add the part where Miyu kills the nameless human; in a way of betraying her human kind which would explain the title of this chapter. "An In'human' Betrayal", meaning in this situation, Miyu betrays by killing a 'human' in an 'inhuman' way. I appreciate everyone's reviews and thanks to everyone who has been reading! R&R!


	7. Merciless Light

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter 

Chapter 7: Merciless Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Princess Miyu. Just the AU plot, the poem and some of the characters.

**Merciless Light**

_Basking Sun_

**Silvering Moon**

_Darkened Light_

**_"Forming together one endless cycle"_**

**My World**

_My World_

**_"When our worlds collide our lives end"_**

**By Light**

_By Night_

The words are meant to be spoken by Miyu "The Vampire Hunter" and Miyu "The Vampire". The words in bold are spoken by the vampire and the words in italics are spoken by the vampire hunter. The words in bold quotation marks are spoken by both. It was written to reflect their views on each other.

( - )

"Human killer," Miyu uttered from trembling lips. She continued to stare down at the bloody corpse of the man she had just killed, trying to piece together exactly how she had killed him. She raised her hands up so she could look at them closely as if they held the answer. Dark red blood covered them and stained her dress soaking through to her skin underneath. She could see it in the blood; the entire scene playing before her eyes over and over again.

The changing colors of his face as he struggled to breath; the feeling of her hands closing tighter around his neck and the feeling of intense power. She had never experienced such power in her entire life. It filled her full yet it left her unsatisfied and wanting more.

It was so unlike her. . . . . .

"Well, you seem to have made quite a mess haven't you ex-Vampire Hunter," Kyroku said. "Don't you think you should clean up after yourself?"

"Leave me alone," Miyu whispered still staring at her hands.

"Well, it's true," Kyroku said. He swung his leg sideways knocking Miyu's feet out from under her and she fell face first onto the bloody corpse.

"Kyroku, stop this at once!" Larva demanded.

Kyroku glared at him as he brought his foot down upon Miyu's head to keep her from getting up. "I refuse," he growled. "It was a mistake to bring her here. She doesn't belong with our kind."

Miyu flailed her arms to the side of her in a desperate attempt to get Kyroku to let her up. Kyroku lifted his foot off her head and grabbed a hand full of her hair, roughly pulling her to her feet. "Tell us Larva," Kyroku continued. "What is the true reason why you went through all that trouble to track down this girl and bring her back here? I don't see anything special about her. Do you?" he asked the crowd of vampires that were gathered around them.

They looked amongst themselves shaking their heads but also looked to Larva for some sort of explanation.

Larva stepped towards Kyroku. "Let her go Kyroku. You would never understand the reason for her being here."

"How could I not understand unless you explain yourself?" Kyroku asked. "Make us understand Larva!"

"Not now," Larva replied. "Maybe when you learn to show a little more respect towards her then I will explain to both of you the reason why. Now, let her go."

Defeated, Kyroku pulled his fingers free of Miyu's hair and she fell to the ground weeping softly to herself. She got up and ran towards the crowd that surrounded them, pushing her way through them until she broke through and bolted towards one of the many tunnels that led out of the room.

"Miyu!" Larva called after her. He pushed through the crowd and ran after Miyu.

"Let her go Larva," Kyroku called after him but Larva had already disappeared down the tunnel leaving them with a bloody corpse and unanswered questions.

( - )

Miyu gasped for breath as she ran through the maze of dark, interconnecting tunnels. Every turn there was she took regardless of which direction it went. She was just trying to escape; from the cavern, from the vampires, from Larva and even from herself.

"What have I become," Miyu thought as she continued to run tirelessly in the dark which unnaturally was not dark at all. She could see perfectly well, as if it were day itself. "Everything has changed. I don't even know myself anymore."

The ground suddenly became more rugged and Miyu found herself stumbling and falling to her knees as she continued on through the tunnels. The jagged rocks tore through her dress and cut the delicate skin underneath. The ground grew even more treacherous as it became steeper to the point where Miyu was forced to crawl on her hands and knees to get anywhere.

Suddenly, she grabbed a hold of a rock that broke free, triggering a landslide to come down upon her, sending her crashing down the steep rocky hill. She screamed as the rocks fell on top of her, crushing her already fragile body. She threw up her hands to protect herself but received no mercy from the inanimate objects.

When the last rock hit the ground Miyu's body was so broken and mangled she found it hard to believe that she was even alive. Her legs were twisted into abnormal positions and the fractured bones sprouted out of them at different angles. Her arms were gashed and bruised but not as badly damaged.

She looked up at where she had fallen from and saw a thin seam of light shining in from a crevice that had been filled in with the rocks that had come down upon her.

Miyu forced her arms to move and painfully moved the rocks one by one off of her crippled body. Each rock took more and more effort to move that when the last rock had been moved aside, Miyu did not have the strength to sit up.

Defeated, she laid on her back and stared up at the single seam of light half hoping that it would suddenly grow larger and swallow her whole, taking her away from the cavern.

It had been so long since she had felt this weak, this helpless. She had been so use to depending on herself and no one else that there were times where she felt as if she were the only person on the planet. A Vampire Hunter could never trust anyone else, even another one of their kind. There were always betrayals among the Vampire Hunters. It was every person for themselves.

Now she could not even depend on herself. She felt as if she had betrayed herself by allowing herself to be so fickle. How could she have allowed herself to give into that temptation?

The colors. . . .the blood. . . .the death. . .the power. . . .

The things that would seduce even a vampire.

Miyu rolled over onto her side and pushed herself up. She cringed as she folded her shattered legs under her, placing her weight onto them. She stared up at the seam of light that now tempted her.

It did not seem that far.

She pressed her hands against the ground and crawled the incline towards it, dragging her useless legs behind her. Each inch she moved took her closer to her goal and for the first time in years she felt a certain lump of happiness billow up inside of her.

She stopped at the crevice that let the light in and for a moment stared in awe at its flawlessness. She had honestly never seen anything so beautiful in her life. She rose to her knees and pushed her hands against the rocks that framed the light.

Just maybe. . . . . .

The rocks suddenly gave way without much resistance and fell through, allowing the light to enter in like an ocean wave, blinding her. She raised her hands up to shield her eyes and allow them time to adjust.

She had made it.

The heat of the sun felt increasingly hot against her arm and when she pulled her hands away from her eyes she saw that her skin was slowly browning and peeling away. Miyu gasped as the skin slowly darkened from brown to black as it pulled away revealing red skin underneath.

She was burning alive.

She fell back and tried to retreat back from the enemy but the sun's hand reached farther into the cave and she did not have the strength to pull herself away.

The torn, strained, muscles peeled away revealing white bone and the bones already jutting out were charred black. Miyu tried to scream but coughed up gray ash instead that clung to the inside of her throat and choked her. The flesh of her arms had been eaten away so much that she was unable to hold herself up and collapsed. she curled up into a ball and let the sun continue to burn her away.

"Giving up so soon Vampire Hunter?"

The light was extinguished and she was once again thrown into another pit of darkness.

( - )

"Hush little baby don't you mind. . . . . ."

The soft words of a lullaby echoed in Miyu's ears as she opened her eyes to pitch blackness. She moved her hands by her sides, splashing the cool water against the solid walls of her containment.

She was back in the coffin again. . . .

Frustrated, she kicked the lid above her. Why couldn't she just have been left to be burned alive by the sun?

The hinges of the lid creaked and the artificial light poured in as it was lifted up. Miyu closed her eyes to allow herself to become adjusted to the light and sat up.

"I hope you slept well Miyu-san," a soft voice whispered. Miyu opened her eyes slowly and turned to find a young woman sitting next to her coffin in a wooden rocker cradling a tiny infant in her arms.

Miyu looked around her half-expecting to find Larva or Kyroku standing nearby but they were nowhere to be found.

"Larva is resting," the woman said as if reading Miyu's mind, "and my love is out hunting."

"Your love?" Miyu asked. "You couldn't be?"

"I'm sorry. We haven't introduced ourselves have we?" she said. "I am Bianca and this little one is my son Kyuu." The infant mewled and pulled on his mother's blouse wanting to be nursed. Bianca slowly unbuttoned her blouse so he could suckle.

"How long have," Miyu paused watching Kyuu sucking hungrily on his mother's breast.

"You've been sleeping for over seven days," Bianca said. "You were so badly burned and hurt, even Larva had doubts that your body would be able to heal itself."

"No," Miyu said shaking her head. "How long have you been here?"

"Me?" Bianca asked as if she had never been asked before. She thought for a moment. "Almost a year, why?"

"You've been here for months and you've never tried to leave?" Miyu asked.

"Kyro(1), my love, has taken me outside the cavern before when I request it, but I spend most of my days down here raising Kyuu." She tickled the bottom of Kyuu's feet.

"You must miss your parents," Miyu said.

"Hardly," Bianca replied bitterly. "They were so controlling. I could not even think on my own. They made all my decisions for me."

"They must miss you," Miyu said.

"I know," Bianca replied, "but there is nothing I can do about it now."

"Do you regret," Miyu paused trying to choose her words wisely so she would not offend Bianca, "ever falling in love with Kyroku?"

Bianca stiffened. "Of course not," she replied. "I love Kyro and it was my decision to come here." She bowed her head and kissed Kyuu who had fallen asleep against her breast. "I do get a bit home sick at times and it did take some time to get use to the cavern but it is my home now and I will never regret."

"Even though you will have to live with this decision for the rest of your life?"

"It was my decision."

Miyu sighed. "At least you had a choice," she whispered.

Bianca leaned to the side and pulled a dark package out from under her rocking chair. "I made you a new dress," she said handing it to Miyu.

"Thank you," Miyu replied.

Bianca stood up from the rocker being careful not to wake Kyuu. "I am going to put Kyuu to bed now," she said. "Will you be needing anything?"

"No," Miyu replied.

Bianca left her and Miyu dropped the dress down next to her coffin and slowly sank back into the water pulling the lid shut over her.

"How could anyone wish to become a vampire, even for love?" Miyu thought before she drifted back to sleep.

( - )

Miyu was awakened by the sound of someone banging on top of her coffin. She groaned and pushed opened the lid to her coffin.

Larva stared down upon her. "It takes quite a bit to wake you up doesn't it," he said.

"Why couldn't you just have waited for me to wake up on my own?" Miyu asked angrily.

"Because I wanted to see you," he replied.

Miyu sat up. "Well, you are the last person I want to see when I wake up." She leaned over the side of her coffin to retrieve the dress she had put there the last time she was awake.

"Looking for this?" Larva asked.

Miyu looked up and found that he was holding the dark package in his hands. She mumbled something crude under her breath and took it from him. "Now, now Miyu. There is no need for such harsh words." he said.

Miyu glared at him as she pulled the black dress out from the package and threw the paper aside. She pulled it over her head and pulled it down as she stood up in the coffin making sure that he did not see anymore of her body than he already had. "I bet you're expecting me to thank you for saving me," she said as she stepped out onto the smooth floor.

"No," Larva replied. "I wasn't the one who saved you."

"What?" Miyu asked. "Then who did?"

"Kyroku."

Miyu frowned. "He saved me?"

Larva nodded. "He found you and carried you back here. Which brings me to this question. How are you feeling?"

Miyu pulled her sleeve back and saw that her skin was still intact without any scars. She pulled up her skirt well above her knees and found no scars on her legs. She let her skirt fall and looked back at Larva. "Better," she said.

"That's good." He gave her a smug look.

"What?" Miyu asked annoyed.

"I am going to have to keep a better eye on you to make sure you don't go off and pull that stunt again," he replied. "The cavern can be very treacherous as you have already noticed. It is a trivial maze with many dead ends. Only the vampires that have lived here for some time can navigate through it."

"Then how was that human able to get in?" Miyu asked suddenly recalling the incident that had ultimately ended with the death of the human by her hand.

"That is something we are still trying to figure out. No human has ever gotten into this room and if one can get in then there is a chance that there might be more. There may even be some lost in the maze right now as we speak. We will have to search them out and destroy them.

Miyu frowned. "I hunt vampires not humans. Who's to say I won't get in your way?"

"If you still think that you are a Vampire Hunter than why haven't you tried your hand at me?" Larva asked. "Wasn't I the one you were hunting?"

"But you are also the one who saved me," Miyu said remembering the night in the park. "Now here's a question for you. Why did you save me? I mean nothing to you and yet, instead of letting me die you made me a vampire and brought me here." Miyu opened her arms wide as if to encompass the entire cavern. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Larva sighed. "Why must everyone question my intentions?"

"Because they think you're a nut," Miyu replied sarcastically.

Larva patted Miyu on the head. "Such crude words from such a frail body." He knelt down so he was at her eye level. "You're not ready to know why you're here, not yet."

"And let me guess. You will be the one to decide when I am ready?"

"Was it that obvious?"

Miyu sighed. "Now what?"

"That all depends on what you had in mind."

"I want to leave this place and go back to being a human," Miyu replied. "I never want to see this place or you ever again." Miyu folded her arms against her chest. "But that's never going to happen, is it?"

Larva shook his head. "It hurts me that you're so bitter."

"Like hell!" Miyu snapped.

Larva laughed. "You are so charming when you're sarcastic." He placed his hand on her shoulder and ushered her away from her resting place. "Come now, there are things to be done before the sun rises."

Miyu gave him a quizzical look but allowed him to lead her out of massive room and down one of the dark tunnels where they were soon joined by others heading to an unknown destination.

"Where are we going?" Miyu whispered when it seemed as if the walking would never end.

"You'll soon find out," Larva replied as they continued on through the dark. Miyu looked behind her at the other vampires who were following them. Their eyes echoed back at her in deafening stares that forced her to look back to the dark in front of her. Finally, they stopped when they had reached a dead end.

"It seems we're a bit lost," Miyu said to herself.

"On the contrary," Larva said as he waved his hand in the air. The ground suddenly began to shake and a line split the wall in half and the halves moved away from each other like a sliding door. This opened the cavern up to the wonders of the night.

Miyu felt as if her breath had been taken away by a forceful hand as Larva led her through threshold and into the night. She looked up in awe at the sky. The stars glared harmlessly down upon them and the moon rose slowly; half broken(2). The dark clouds moved gracefully across the sky like the shadows of the other vampires as they slowly began to disperse. An ignorant cloud covered the moons broken face and when it was revealed again, all the vampires had disappeared.

"Isn't the night beautiful?" Larva asked her as he led her further into the night.

"Hardly," Miyu lied trying not to show him how stunned she was.

Suddenly, a gunshot rain out in the dark. Two shadowing figures burst out of the bushes near them and ran towards them. Larva grabbed Miyu and pulled her behind him as he got ready for combat. The first figure who came near them pulled out a hand pistol and took a close shot at them. Larva gracefully dodged the bullet and reached forward towards the enemy and grabbed the pistol by its barrel and snapped it off.

Meanwhile, the second figure was behind the first and seemed to be struggling with a semi-automatic weapon. Miyu could feel a burning throb in the pit of her stomach and the feeling of intense power suddenly reignited. She moved passed Larva with unbelievable speed and ran towards the second figure.

The enemy, now realizing that it had been caught tried to fire off the gun but only received a hollow click. Miyu reached over the gun and grabbed for the enemy but it pulled away and, leaving the gun, retreated across the dark field away from the cavern.

Miyu sprinted after the fleeing enemy, her passion for combat and blood pushing her forward. She no longer had any control over herself. All she cared about was see the running carcass lying in two pieces on the ground. She pushed herself to run faster until she was right on the back of her enemy. She jumped into the air and pounced like a hellish black cat onto her enemy bringing it down to the ground. She grabbed a hold of its head and wrench it off with a sickening twist. Ragged flesh went flying everywhere as the blood burst up through the neck, showering her in a blood bath.

Miyu sighed as she suddenly started to spiral down from her demented high. Her body felt heavy and she fell off her bloody saddle and onto the ground beside it. She took in deep breaths, trying to re-situate herself with her surroundings when she finally realized what she had done.

She stood up and walked a few paces before she pitched forward and vomit her own blood. She had allowed herself to give in to a vampire's temptation again! And it had led to the death of another human. She turned to return to Larva but then stopped. She looked up at the broken moon and the glaring stars that now seemed to threaten her and turned and ran away from the cavern to escape.

( - )

The first enemy, seeing its companion fleeing, turned its back on Larva and took off after him but Larva grasped a hold of the enemy's shoulder and pulled it back. His nails lengthened and he skewered his enemy through the heart, sending a shower of blood to rain down upon the ground.

These humans that were attacking the cavern were becoming annoying real quick. Larva dropped the carcass in disgust. Something would have to be done about the pathetic things before they caused some real trouble and not only that. If more humans found the location of the cavern there could be an entire war between vampires and humans on their hands.

Larva looked for Miyu. He had seen her take off after the other human but was not quite sure what direction she had taken.

This wasn't good.

Miyu seemed to go into a bloodlust when strung with adrenaline to do battle but when the feeling wore off she was thrown into, what seemed to him, some type of shock. The last time she had gone into that shock she made some rash decisions and had almost killed herself. Larva would have to find her soon especially if she had already made a kill.

Larva left the dead corpse and followed the remaining scent of fear that the human, that Miyu had gone after, had left.

It was quite ironic though. Miyu seemed to be going through the same transition that he had gone through, so many years ago. . . . . . . . . . . . .

To Be Continued. . . .

Notes:

(1) "Kyro" is Bianca's pet name for Kyroku. (yes, the flaming bastard does have a soft side)

(2) "Half-broken" is referring to the moon being half-full.

BlueDragonGirl1: (sigh) I'll agree with you people. Updating eight months later is WAY TO LONG and I will honestly try to update SOONER next time. I had really wanted this chapter to be longer but as I was typing it up I came up with a few ideas to add in future chapters. Unfortunately, I do not like adding too many main points in one chapter because I have a tendency to get off track and crash (and burn). Also, I do not want "Miyu: The Vampire Hunter" to lose its momentum. After the spike at chapter three, whenever I write a new chapter for this fanfiction I think to myself "Ok, is this chapter as good as chapter three and the others?" So when "Miyu: The Vampire Hunter" does end (which will probably be after chapter 500) I want it to end with a BANG! Please review because any comment is greatly appreciated. (Merry Christmas Everyone!)


	8. Untold Past Part One

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter 

Chapter 8: Untold Past (Part I)

Disclaimer: I do not own VPM but I do own the poem SO ANYONE WHO STEALS IT SHALL BE ACCUSED OF **PLAGERISM!**

_The present is reality_

_While the future is a mystery_

_But the past is so unthinkably close_

_Closer then we know it to be_

_And with so many things that have occurred_

_We relive the past everyday_

_But the people we've known will never live again_

Larva roamed the dark forest at a slow gait, making sure that he did not overlook any clues to where Miyu could have gone. He had found the decapitated body of the second enemy who had attacked them earlier when they had left the cavern and with it, a trail of bloody footprints leading away from it. He had followed it until the blood had faded away and now had to work with the lingering scent of human blood and the small clues such as leaves and branches that Miyu had brushed past, staining them with blood.

Larva did not doubt his hunting skills and knew he would find Miyu, but he could not help but worry. Miyu was unpredictable and she was as much of a threat to herself as she was to the humans. He just hoped that another hunter did not go after her or the results would be disastrous. The hunter would be mutilated beyond recognition and Miyu would be thrown into another state of shock that would cloud her ability to make a sane decision.

He stopped for a moment and looked up at the stars decorating the sky like shattered pieces of the other half of the moon. "It's as if I am reliving a part of your life in your place," Larva said to the stars. "Is this precisely what happened when I lost it? When I was adjusting to the change?"

(FLASHBACK – EUROPE)

Larva leaned against the railing of the balcony staring down upon the courtyard below while stirring the contents of his morning drink. Life was passing by him quite uneventfully and with very little to do. It seemed that ever since he had consented to do what his father wished him to do, marry Lady Teresa of Salvia Valley, he had found himself consenting to much more than that. It was true, he wanted to make his parents happy and it was tradition to marry at the age of twenty, although he was already eight years ahead of that age, but to keep him under house arrest until the wedding was over was overdoing it! It was as if they did not trust him outside the estate's walls. Even though he really had no desire to marry Lady Teresa he wasn't about to run away from the entire thing.

_"It's really not all that bad," his father had told him. "You can last a month without leaving the property."_

_"But why?" Larva had asked. "What is the reason for this insane order? I consented to marriage not punishment."_

_His father sighed. "It wasn't my order to keep you inside but Lord Salvia insisted because of the Demon."_

_"What Demon?" Larva asked._

_"Lord Salvia claims that there is a curse upon his family, that no matter where he or any of his kin go, they will always be followed by the fanged demon that has sworn to kill them off," his father said._

_"Fanged demon? The man is superstitious," Larva mumbled. "What does this have to do with me?"_

_"Well, you are part of their family now."_

_"I didn't ask to be hunted either," Larva growled. "I should just call this whole thing off right now."_

_"You weren't suppose to know," his father said stopping him from leaving the room. "Every fiancé that Lady Teresa has given her hand to has either broken off the marriage or left her at the alter. Please don't show yourself to be a hypocrite Larva."_

_"Then what am I suppose to do?"_

"Go through with the marriage. Like you said, the man is superstitious and none of the Lady's suitors have been killed so it is probably all a myth."

"Damn myth," Larva mumbled bringing himself back from his thoughts. "Damn fanged beast. Damn them both." He continued to stir his drink just to amuse himself when he heard the neighing of a horse below in the courtyard. He turned his attention down to the courtyard and perceived a man dressed in red garments and holding up a red parasol even though it was not raining.

"Quite unfashionable," Larva thought to himself. "Must be a foreigner." He leaned further over the balcony railing to take in the entire sight of the new stranger or perhaps he was a visitor? His skin was lightly tanned but darker than any noblemen in the country, which concluded that he was in fact a foreigner and his hair was as golden as the sun. He seemed to be an exact reflection of the god Apollo, yet Larva was sure he wasn't Greek. Perhaps Italian or Germanic? Larva straightened to leave and meet the new visitor when his hand unintentionally swept across the railing, knocking his glass over the side. He tried desperately to grab it but it fell below his reach and went falling to the courtyard floor where it smashed into a thousand pieces merely a yard from the foreigner.

Larva heard one of the servants that had gone out to greet the foreigner cry out in surprise but the foreigner himself had not flinched. He looked up at the balcony and Larva got to see his brilliant emerald eyes. Larva stared back, mesmerized, until he found that he could not look away. His grip upon the railing became taunt and the blood drained from his knuckles. His fear increase when his body began to lean forward over the railing threateningly as if it were to throw itself to the courtyard floor without his consent. The foreigner smiled roguishly and then turned his attention back to his affairs and left Larva's line of sight. Suddenly released of the iron grip that had held him, Larva threw himself back away from the railing in complete shock. He covered his eyes with his hands and tried to rid himself of those eyes but the emerald image burned itself into the back of his mind.

"M'lord," a timid voice called to him from the corridor. Larva turned to see a young woman, barely out of her teens, with long royal purple hair divided into magnificent braids standing behind him. He wiped the cold sweat off his brow and quickly regained his composure. "Are you ill, M'lord?" she asked.

"No," Larva said trying not to sound annoyed. He really hated it when she called him by his title. They were supposed to be married in less than three weeks. She could at least call him by his name. "What is it?"

"Your father requests an audience with you," Teresa replied losing her timidity as she spoke. She was always shy around her future husband, probably with worry that he would turn her away.

"Tell him I will be down shortly," Larva replied and he smiled at her to assure her that everything was fine. Teresa smiled and curtsied gracefully before leaving him. Larva sighed and shook his head.

Now it was time for the inevitable meeting.

(-)

Larva took the stairs one by one slowly hoping not to draw attention to himself from the people downstairs. He could hear their voices but had yet to see them. He heard his father speaking light-heartedly to an unseen acquaintance and another voice spoke to him accented lightly like an Englishman but its syllables were sometimes enunciated harshly like a German and did not aid Larva in anyway in pinpointing the foreigner's country of origin.

"Larva?" his father called to him. Larva saw his father come into his line of sight and he knew that the only thing he could do was to go down and find the foreigner out for himself. "Come down here Larva," his father said inviting him down. He turned to a nearby servant and asked her to go ask Teresa to join them. The servant left the room and by the time Larva had reached the end of the stairs she had returned with Teresa.

When Teresa was by his side, his father turned to the foreigner. "This is my only son, Larva and his fiancé, Lady Teresa of Salvia Valley." Teresa shyly took Larva's hand in hers and Larva tried to make himself look proud to be the future husband of such a beautiful bride, but from the strange dullness that came over the foreigner's eyes at this attempt, Larva knew that he was not convinced.

"Larva," his father said to him. "This is Lord Lemures."

"I prefer not to be called by my title if you please," Lemures replied watching Larva.

"It's very nice to meet you," Teresa said offering him her hand. Half to Larva's surprise and relief he did not take her hand but instead smiled at her as if he pitied her and she withdrew her hand. So he wasn't French, Larva concluded, which was the same nationality as Teresa.

Larva could barely remember the events that past during the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. He spent most of his time avoiding the still unknown foreigner but would watch him cautiously from a distance if he spotted him speaking to his father. He still didn't know the reason for the foreigner being there. Every so often, he would pick up pieces of their conversation before moving on so as they would not find him eavesdropping. It had something to do with foreign affairs and a new alliance.

That evening, Larva sat in his room with an open book in his lap but he did not make an attempt to read the words on the pages. Stalking through the estate while playing a cautious game of hide and seek with that foreigner has really exhausted him. He knew he shouldn't judge the man so quickly but having a complete stranger in his midst made him very wary. What was the real reason why he was here?

"You seem to be straining too much in thought," a mixed accented voice said behind him. "May I ask what it is that you are thinking of?"

Larva turned around and the book dropped from his lap, as he perceived the foreigner comfortably perched on his windowsill.

"Are you really so foreign that you don't know that it's quite rude to enter someone's room without knocking," Larva exclaimed. "And above all things, you should use the door."

Lemures chuckled. "I guess you can't do much knocking when there is no door?" He watched Larva behind his emerald eyes.

Larva shuttered. "Then what brings you here?" he demanded.

"We never became formally acquainted with each other back in the foyer," Lemures replied. "You seemed so shy. Am I that threatening?"

Larva glared at him. "What is your reason for being here?" he asked becoming irritated with his presence.

"Just to tend to a few affairs that I've sworn to do," Lemures replied. The same roguish smile that cross his lips that morning passed over his face again. "You don't really love her do you?" he asked.

A chill ran up Larva's spine and he kept himself still to prevent Lemures from seeing his discomfort with his presence. "Teresa is to be my wife in a couple of weeks," Larva replied cautiously. "A husband should love his future wife, right?"

"I suppose, but does a man named Larva love his future Salvia may nacht(1)?" Lemures mused. "You willing put yourself in such danger for a woman you will never truly love? How inhumane."

"How is that inhumane?" Larva demanded. Each passing moment between them seemed to make the air heavier and he wanted so much to flee from the room that very instant. The questions were puzzling and at the same time disturbing. Was this man even half sane?

"I do hope you will put that hard thinking to some use," Lemures said placing his feet on the floor. Larva flinched half expecting the floor to cave in from under them but the room did not shift. "I'd really hate to see such a beautiful creature of such an ugly race to be condemned to such a punishment." He placed a gloved hand on Larva's shoulder and Larva suddenly felt light headed, ready to pass out. "Good night." And he left the room, using the door this time, leaving Larva staring out the window until he collapsed to his knees in almost fatal astonishment. What was this man seeking and why did it feel as if it had something to do with him and Teresa?

He pulled himself up onto his bed and sat motionless until the candles in the room flickered and died out then he decided to turn in and go to bed. His restless mind thought of nothing more as he drifted off to a fitful sleep.

(-)

In the days that past, Larva saw very little of Lemures and Lemures, to Larva's relief, did not visit him again after that night but what he found quite peculiar was the time of day he saw the foreigner. He never saw him during the morning, excluding the morning he had arrived carrying the parasol even though there was no threat of rain, and the only time that he seemed to catch a glimpse of him was during the evening when the sun was on the verge of setting. Also, when Larva was lying in bed at night, he could hear someone roaming the corridor outside his door. He had approached his father once with the intention of trying to get more information on Lemures' background but his father was too wrapped up with the planning of the wedding that he seemed to have forgotten that the foreigner had even existed.

A week before the night of the wedding, he was stalking through the corridors with absolutely nothing to do, for he was still under house arrest, and he perceived Teresa sitting in front of one of the grand windows with Lemures standing over her. Larva quickly hid behind a pillar and watched as they chatted idly together. Teresa was normally deathly shy of people but from what Larva could tell she seemed as open as she had ever been since she had first arrived at his home. Larva suddenly felt a pit of jealously form in his stomach. Maybe that's what Lemures had meant by "if he really loved her". Could it have been that _he_ was in love with Teresa? He frowned. He found it hard to believe that someone that strange could ever love someone but then again, he himself really didn't love Teresa. Maybe Teresa and Lemures were better off together?

(-)

Night came once again and Larva debated whether or not to tell his father to call off the marriage. He had seen how carefree Teresa had been and he did not want to deceive her any longer. Perhaps it was for the best. Larva went to find his father but found that he was nowhere in the house. He inquired one of the servants and she informed him that his father had left the house on some type of errand and would return in the morning. Distressed that he would have to wait that long, he roamed the corridors arguing with himself if his decision was really a sound one. What if he was wrong about his decision? Should he go through with it even though he didn't have any evidence that Teresa was truly happy?

Suddenly his head began to ache and he decided to retire to his room for the rest of the night. On the way to his room, he passed an open door and, to satisfy his curiosity, peeked inside to see who occupied the room. He saw Lemures leaning up against the mantel of the fireplace with his eyes closed, perhaps asleep.

"What a peculiar way to sleep," Larva thought. He watched him for a moment then, unexpectedly, he gathered his wits about him and entered the room. He had something to settle.

Lemures opened his eyes when Larva stood in the middle of the room and Larva noticed how he looked him over before speaking. "I thought it was rude to enter without knocking?" he mocked.

"Just think of it as my way of getting back at you for that night," Larva replied.

Lemures pushed himself away from the mantel and came up to Larva. "So to what do I owe this visit?" he asked.

"Do you remember what you said to me the night that you came to my room?" Larva asked him.

"Of course, after all, I am the one who said it."

"Why did you question me if I was really in love with Teresa? Were you testing me or was it just to cover up your feelings for her?"

Lemures laughed. "You think _I'm_ in love with your "lily of the valley"?" he mused. "Rest assure young knave, I have no interest in her or in any other woman for that matter. She's all yours." He continued to laugh and Larva suddenly felt himself put to ease.

"I apologize," Larva said. Maybe this foreigner wasn't as strange as he had originally thought.

"You can't be blamed for it. After all, you're only _human_," Lemures said it as though Larva was a completely different species then himself and Larva was thrown back into a state of ill-ease. "Come," Lemures gestured for him to come closer. "Let us drink to your future life with your beloved wife." Larva stepped closer while Lemures went over to a tray that sat by the window and poured a strange, dark red liquid of which Larva had never seen before into two glasses. He held out the glass to Larva and he took it with a nod of thanks. Larva looked down into the crystal glass and tried to pinpoint where he had seen any drink so red before.

"The wine puzzles you, no?" Lemures asked.

"Only slightly," Larva admitted.

"It is my blood," he replied with all seriousness.

Larva was not sure it he should have been humored or disgusted but forced himself to laugh none-the-less. Lemures continued to stare at him with all the seriousness of a cemetery gravestone and the laughter died a way, then he smiled and held his glass to Larva's. "To your life," he said.

"And to yours," Larva said embarrassed at how he had made a fool of himself. He had heard the term "wine of my land" before from his father. Perhaps Lemures had meant exactly that, the wine being the _blood_ of his home country. Suddenly Larva felt even worse about laughing at something so serious but he held the glass up to his lips and gingerly sipped the wine. It had a strange taste, like copper but Larva ignored it not wanting to make himself out to be rude again. He spared a glance to Lemures who had not even touched his wine and was surprised to see that he had tipped his glass slightly to an angle allowing the crimson liquid to drip over the edge and onto the floor. Larva felt a strange feeling come over his body and he pulled the half empty glass away to find his hand shaking uncontrollably. His breath ceased regularity and came in short ragged puffs and his vision faded in and out of focus. He dropped onto his hands and knees, spilling the wine across the floor. He felt as if his body were fighting against itself, trying to rid whatever was attacking it from the inside. He looked up at Lemures in absolute horror.

"What? What was it?" Larva moaned as blood sputtered from his lips.

The roguish smile swept across Lemures' face once more as he stared down upon Larva. "Did you really think I wasn't serious when I said that it was _my_ blood?" He tipped his glass even further and the rest of the wine washed over Larva's face. Larva gasped and covered his face in agony before falling to the floor unconscious.

To Be Continued . . . .

Notes:

Salvia May Nacht (May Night) is a purple, lavender-like plant.

BlueDragonGirl1: Yeah, you're probably wondering why there is a (Part I) next to Chapter 8. Well, originally, this chapter was meant to be A LOT longer but I started to drift off of the main topic, which was Larva's past and I hate covering several main, crucial and complicated points in one whole chapter. So, to make things run a bit smoother, I decided to separate chapter 8 into two parts. (Plus, the cliffhanger was too hard to pass up.) In (Part II) I am planning on going into the rest of Larva's past, Lemures' past and parts of Kyroku's past. And the ending to that chapter will definitely blow your minds so look forward to it. **R&R!**


	9. Untold Past Part Two

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter 

Chapter 9: Untold Past (Part II)

Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Vampire Princess Miyu. I do write the poems that precede the chapters of this fanfic. No les toquen! Do not touch them! (Note: This chapter contains mild shonen-ai but no kissing or beyond that. People have different perception of shonen-ai so just to note.)

_Silent memories crowd the darkest corridors of our mind_

_We remain strong and they will not stir_

_But when we're at our weakest;_

_When our time seems bleak;_

_The memories will break us,_

_And put us in our graves_

Larva woke up the next morning in a daze. His body felt weighted down and the will to move seemed beyond him. He looked around him. He was in his room although he never remembered returning to his room last night. Perhaps everything had been a dream? It was possible that he was ill? He turned his attention to the small clock on the night table next to his bed. Ten-thirty in the morning! He never slept that late. He groaned but made no attempt to get up. Soon his eyelids grew heavy and the room disappeared as he fell back to sleep.

It must have been several hours later when he was awoken by a frantic knock on his door. Just like in the morning, his attempt to get up was fruitless and he continued to lay in bed unmoving.

"Larva! Open the door the instant!" his father's voice came through the door. "This is a matter of great urgency!"

"I fear that I cannot open the door," Larva said in a cracked, dry voice.

"What in hell! Why?" his father demanded. From his voice, Larva knew that the man must have been nervous and at wits end and he regretted that he could not open the door himself.

"I have taken ill," Larva replied still not sure what was really wrong with him. He just hoped that the events that had transpired in Lemures' room had been the effects of a fever that had taken a hold of him during the night. But he still could not recall ever going to his room!

He heard the sound of keys jingling together and the door to his room soon opened revealing the rather haggard appearance of his father. "I do not wish to worry you while you are ill but I am afraid that the wedding is in fact off; permanently," his father said.

Sudden relief washed over Larva. Then it had been a dream that Lemures said that he had no interest in Teresa. Now he no longer had to deceive the shy Lady who had, had her heart broken by so many other suitors. Perhaps she could finally be happy?

"Larva," his father said gravely. "Teresa is dead."

"What?" Larva exclaimed. The relief was replaced with dread and he felt as if he were going to be sick. "How could this have happened?"

"I am not sure but one of her servants found her dead in her bedroom this morning drained of all her blood and . . ." Larva heard a high pitch ringing sound that drowned out his father and tasting the bile in the back of his throat, leaned as far as he could over the side of his bed and threw up richly colored blood. Then he blacked out.

(-)

When Larva resurfaced to consciousness he found himself lying in a different room and he was so distorted that he couldn't be sure it he was staring up at the ceiling or down at the floor. The curtains were pulled over the window and a fire was burning brightly in the fireplace, casting black shadows against the walls. He was unsure what day it was or even if it was the same month and everything before the moment he had woken up was a huge blur with muffled voices. He sat up and pushed off the covers and discovered that he was still in his same clothes. Perhaps not that much time had past.

Something moved on the other side of the room and he looked up to find Lemures residing in a darkened corner staring at him with his emerald green eye glowing. Larva's breath caught in his throat and suddenly everything came back to him. The wine, the blood, the numbness and Teresa; Teresa was dead. How could this have happened? Larva tried to stand but only stumbled to the floor while hanging on to the bedpost.

"What have you . . . ." Larva tried to address Lemures but he trailed off as the floor began to roll and sway like a boat in stormy water and he clung to the bedpost afraid of being thrown overboard. Lemures strolled over the rolling floor as if it didn't bother him in the least bit and stood over Larva as he clung desperately to the post.

"The sickness will pass over sooner if you stop feeding into it," he said.

Sweat was pouring down Larva's face and he closed his eyes to close out the rolling sensations. He felt a pair of strong arms pull him away from the bedpost and ease him back onto the bed. Larva took this chance and lashed out trying to fight back but received a quick slap across the face that rendered him senseless. He breathed sharply and his head throbbed even worse when he opened his eyes but everything in the room had returned to normal. He fell back onto the bed with his hands against his head. "What have you done?" he asked panting. "Why do I feel as if every inch of my body is being torn apart piece by piece and set on fire?"

Lemures looked at him as if impressed. "Well that's quite a poetic way of putting it." Larva grimaced in pain. "But as I said before, you have to stop feeding into it."

"What is this?" Larva demanded. "You damned bastard! I'll have your head for this!"

Lemures shook his head. "You're not one for listening, are you?" He moved over to a small table in the corner and returned with a glass filled with the same rich red colored liquid from the first night.

"No," Larva said firmly.

"Whoever said this was for you?" Lemures asked. Larva frowned and he shrugged. "It is, and you need to drink it all."

"I refuse to drink anymore of your poison!"

"Don't think of it that way? Think of it more as a British tot. You might be pleasantly surprised." Larva opened his mouth to protest and Lemures set the rim of the glass against his lower lip. "This should knock you out for a couple of hours." He tipped the glass forward and Larva couldn't resist the urge to allow the crimson liquid to pass over his tongue and wash over the back of his throat. It wasn't like the first time. It was sweeter and not as sharp. He felt stronger and a sudden burst of energy reverberated throughout his body. He was shell-shocked that he forgot how to swallow and a thin red line spilled over his lips. He wiped it from his mouth suddenly exhausted and he collapsed onto the bed in a dead faint. He was later awoken by a mournful drone of a violin echoing throughout the halls of the mansion. He sat up, finding himself once again in his room. The fever had broken and the pain had subsided. He rose from his bed still dressed in his clothes from an unknown number of days ago. He walked through his room and peered into the hallway. The violin solo persisted rising and falling in a funeral march style. He strolled down the hall in search of the melody and was not surprised when he found himself standing outside of Lemures' room. The door had been left half open and he pushed it open the rest of the way.

Lemures sat on the arm of the chair with a violin under his chin. He strummed one last chord before placing the instrument back into its case.

"You play?" Larva asked.

"Only on occasion," he replied.

"Occasion?"

"Funerals."

"You didn't."

"I did, even her."

"You killed Teresa. You were the one who drained her of her blood!" Larva accused.

"Such harsh accusations." Lemures grinned. "Yes, but I had some help." He pointed the black violin bow at Larva.

Larva took a step back. "I wouldn't have dared."

"That last glass was quite sweet, yes?"

"Oh god!"

"Don't act so shocked."

"Shocked? Is that all you have to say, you demon!" Lemures flashed his pale white fangs. "Fanged? You're the fanged demon? The one that has been hunting down the Salvia family line."

"I prefer vampire, and yes, that is what I am, and I have successfully completed my mission ending with the darling little lily of the valley and her high-sprung father."

Larva stiffened. "Why? What could they have possibly done to anger you?"

Lemures placed the bow back safely into the case and closed it. "Perhaps you'll understand someday. Now, shall we be going?"

"Going? Going where?" Larva asked dumbfounded. This person, this vampire, was a complex and intricate creature. Calm, collected, unpredictable. It was charming and yet he was sickly demented.

"We are leaving tonight," he said bluntly. "If you look out the window you will see that there is a carriage waiting for us."

"Us?"

"Of course. You don't expect me to just leave you here. You'd probably be stupid enough to walk out on to your beloved balcony at high noon on a ninety degree day."

Larva had already had his suspicions and now he was cursing himself for being tricked into drinking that tainted blood. "Don't be so blunt," he mumbled.

"It's your choice," he paused. "Well, actually it's not. I've decided. You will be joining me in my travels."

"You killed my family and turned me against my free will. Now you expect me to follow you?"

He whirled around to face him. "You have no free will!" Larva was taken aback by the sudden anger seething from him voice that he physically took a step back. "You're mother and your father have planned how you were going to live your life even before you took your first breath, and you've let them drag you around every step of the way. You never had a free will."

"So that gives you the right to do what you want with me?" Larva breathed but Lemures had already turned his back on him and the sound of his footsteps disappeared down the hallway. Larva lingered in the room for a moment. What was he going to do now? He was in no way capable of fighting with Lemures, physically or with wit. He peered out into the hallway. It was dark and there were no lights illuminating the end of the hall. He kept one hand on the wall as he blindly led himself down the familiar corridor. When he was at the head of the stairs he could see the moonlight shining in through the open door in the foyer. He took the steps slowly and looked out. Lemures had been right. There was a carriage waiting for them. He was already inside holding the door open for him. Larva strolled out to the edge of the platform and looked up at the driver. He was hunched over covered with a burgundy cloak. The hood hid his face from view but Larva could clearly see his gnarled hands hanging loosely onto the reins. The four black horses neighed and bit at each other like rabid animals leaving marks that festered and bled.

Larva took one last look at the house. Every window was dark except for the room he had just left where a candle stood in the window, the flame wavering back and forth as if bidding them farewell. He knew this would be the last time he'd see his childhood home and he was still wondering why he was leaving. Curiosity? Shame? Because he didn't have a choice? He held onto the door as he climbed into the cabin of the carriage. He closed the door and sat across from Lemures. He couldn't bring himself to look into those emerald eyes again so he kept his head down with eyes fixated to the floor. The carriage quivered and rocked as the aged driver brought the horses to attention. Once they got on the main road the clattering of the hooves created a rhythmic metronome that lulled him to sleep.

When he awoke, the cabin of the carriage was submersed in total darkness. He could hear the clattering of the hooves and knew that they were still moving. He groped the wall and felt a soft, frayed material was covering the windows. He pulled it aside and pale light filtered in. the sky was just beginning to change colors even though the sun hadn't begun its ascent from the below the horizon line. It was peaceful and quiet but staring at it gave him a headache and he had to look away.

Lemures was asleep with his cloak wrapped around him. He looked like an entirely different person. His facial features were softened, making him appear to be harmless but Larva swallowed sickly. The blood was drained from his face, diluting the brown skin till it was a pasty white like a dead patron unearthed from the grave. He was disturbed yet fascinated enough that he reached out and touched his cheek. It was cold; bitterly cold, like he _was_ ice. He didn't stir and Larva pressed his palm against his face. He had never felt anything so eerily cold. He pulled away suddenly. What was he doing? It was as if he had lost sight of himself. He stared at the horizon and in a few moments his head was throbbing and he had to look away again.

He had been so focused on his anger that he hadn't inquired to where exactly they were going. Everywhere around them was countryside, which gave no clue. Now that he was to himself he was beginning to have second thoughts.

Larva glanced out the window at the horizon. Vampires couldn't travel out in the daylight but there was still some time left before the sun would rise. He would have to move quickly. He unlatched the door and it swung open. The carriage was moving at a walking pace and he merely stepped out and closed the door. The carriage moved along, the driver not having realized that he had left or didn't care. Larva watched it turn around a bend before he turned in the opposite direction and broke out into a hard sprint.

Compared to the nights before when he had felt absolutely miserable, he was full of energy that didn't seem to deplete. He even seemed faster, more agile as he dodged past trees and brush. It was a thrill to be so fast, to have the countryside rush past him in a blur but in turn it was frightening. It was like the blood had rebuilt his body, his mind, and even going as far as to curve his will so he was easily controlled.

But no more.

He ran for what seemed like hours until his body began to protest with signs of fatigue but he stopped mostly because the sun was beginning to pour its lights over the edge of the horizon. The light made his head throb and eyes water even worse and he took shelter under a bridge passing over a dried riverbed overgrown with weeds.

He sat down and regained his breath. The sun finally rose above the horizon and he had to turn away from it. The cool shade of the bridge's underbelly was enjoyable and he curled up on the rocky bed and fell asleep.

When he woke up the world around him had turned into a raging inferno. He scrambled back to get away from it but had to halt when the heat bore down on him from the other side. It was near noon and the sun's light was slowly crawling towards him, threatening to devour him. All around him was bright and flashes of colors bounced in front of his eyes. There was nowhere to run. The heat itself was excruciating but his body would not sweat to keep him cool and the heat seemed to build up inside his body. If the light reached any further he would be pushed out into the light. He looked out to search for a possible shadow that he could run too but the trees were too far away. He would never make it, but amongst the trees, he caught sight of a figure moving towards him. He wiped away the water spilling from his eyes from the intense glare of the light and caught sight of a flash of red. As it drew closer, Larva tried to shrink back even further under the bridge. Perhaps he should throw himself out into the light and get it over with? He blinked quickly to clear his vision and Lemures was standing over him in a instant, the red umbrella shielding him from the sun.

Larva looked up at him. "How did you find me?"

"It wasn't that much of a challenge. You left a horribly obvious trail," he replied. He touched the splintered wood of the bridge. "You're not very good at choosing hiding places either." He plucked off a splinter of wood and threw it aside. "But I guess I should have warned you. If there are any rules to vampirism, the first is that daytime is for sleep time."

"Then why are you awake?" Larva asked trying to be smug.

"I was awoken by the smell of burning flesh." He held up his hand and the Larva winced. The skin was blackened and blistered. "You could have been courteous enough to at least shut the curtain before you had left." He held out his burned hand to help Larva up but Larva pushed it away and tried to stand up but Lemures pulled away and the sun poured in sending Larva back into the shadows. It was his punishment. He extended his hand again and Larva took it, the dried skin cracking under his. He winced as he was pulled up.

They returned to the carriage slowly. Larva tried to stay under the umbrella without brushing against the red cloak but it was like walking on a high wire. If he fell out of the shade of the umbrella, he would burn up. Not a word was past between them the entire way.

The carriage and its driver stood in the shade of a giant oak tree. The horses had fallen into their cannibalistic ritual of biting each other while they waited. Larva stepped inside the cabin first and Lemures followed, closing the door. He pulled the shade down and the driver started up the horses. Larva sighed. He would just have to try again.

Lemures had been watching him intently since he had taken a seat across from him. "I hope you're not thinking about trying that stunt again."

Larva stared at him startled. "Now you can read my mind?"

"No. You just had look of determination on your face."

Larva frowned. "You must be experienced with people."

Lemures merely shrugged. "Hunting them, if that's what you mean." He chuckled softly. "I have no need to interact with humans."

"Then why are you around them?" Larva asked. "To slaughter?"

He laughed. "That too, and to feed." Larva felt his stomach drop. He wasn't too familiar with vampires or the species of the occult. Naturally they would need some type of sustenance.

"You have nothing to say?" Lemures asked.

Larva looked away. "You would have been doing me a favor if you have left me out in the sun." He said it with a sharp bitterness.

Lemures was suddenly serious. "I would do no such thing. You're much too precious. I wouldn't misplace you like that."

Larva rolled his eyes. "Well, I refuse to follow you when you go out to hunt."

"Then you'll starve?" Larva nodded and he shook his head. "There is no such thing as an anorexic vampire. You either feed or you," he paused. "Well, feed. There's no way around it. Your instincts will stop you before you starve yourself to death."

"And you brought me into this life because?" Larva asked.

The smile reappeared. "Because you were not like them." Larva waited for more but he changed the subject. "You should rest. We hunt tonight."

Larva hadn't realized how exhausted he was and fell asleep immediately. He woke up and everything went by as a blur and the only thing he could recall at the instant was Lemures saying that he had never heard of a vampire fainting at the sight of blood.

When he woke up again, he was back in carriage, wondering if it had all been a dream. Not likely, since everything came back to him in a tidal wave of events. They had stopped outside a small village, which probably only sheltered five hundred people, if not less. The houses were dark and only the fires of the watchmen burned. They seemed use to occult visitors because outside of the village were several crucifixes to repel evil. Lemures simply tore them down one by one as he past them. One of the watchmen approached them cautiously with a gun as his only weapon. He stopped beside a crucifix and told them that they would not be allowed into the village at night and they would have to return in the morning. Lemures nonchalantly tore the man's head from his body like he had done with the crucifixes. The body fell to the ground spitting blood everywhere. He threw the head to the side and turned to Larva.

"You know what to do," was all he said and Larva knew what he meant but he felt himself fading fast and he fainted.

Lemures was asleep in his usual place so Larva figured it was day. He slumped back in his seat. He was too tired to run away but he could open the door. He touched the door latch. The sunlight would probably kill them both. He hesitated. And after that what would happen? Would they just die? No purgatory, just hell. Or would it just be nothing? He held a hand to his forehead. For some reason he was unable to think clearly or focus on what he wanted. Perhaps he was just confused about everything? Could he possible live this way?

The night rolled around quickly and Lemures woke to find Larva curled up in the corner of the cabin face creased with incomprehensible thoughts.

"So, you didn't try to run away?" he mused.

"Didn't feel like it."

He frowned. The blood slowly began to run through his veins again as his skin changed from white to a healthier glow. "And how do you feel?"

"Tired, confused," Larva replied. "Furious." He hissed bitterly.

"Well, you did choose to go without supper," he said indifferent to Larva's tone. "Perhaps you'll change you mind tonight?"

Larva's eyes widened. "We have to hunt every night?"

"No. I'm just doing this for your sake. I wouldn't be able to trust you out on your own." He smiled. "You might run away or worse yet, get lost." He laughed.

"I'll pass tonight too."

Lemures scowled. "You're really driving on my patience."

"So you do have your boundaries?"

"And I cross them rarely. Only when a nuisance such at yourself provokes me."

"You're the one who put yourself in that position."

"And if you had half a brain you would know why." He opened the door and a cool, night breeze blew in. "It's either you feed from them," he pointed out at the flickering lights of the village just below them. "Or you feed from me, but this time it won't be from a crystal glass."

Larva swallowed back a forming response. "I won't make any promises."

"You won't have too."

The village wasn't guarded by crucifixes but was surrounded with watchmen looking out into the darkness that was beyond the wall of trees and brush. Larva and Lemures stood off behind the trees.

"Take your pick," he told Larva. Larva looked out at all of them. The watchmen were paired up and stood off several hundred feet from each other. If he killed one, he would ultimately have to kill the other. He clenched his jaw. Just now he realized how thirsty he was. It was as if he had been denying it the entire time but now it was gnawing at the back of his throat. There would be no escape from it.

The breaking of a branch suddenly alerted them and Larva was relieved when their attention was taken away from the watchmen. It came from their right and Larva stared into the dark to find out what it was. Three men emerged from the darkness dressed in old jackets covered with dust like they had been sitting on the shelves of an antique store. They stopped and only one continued to approach them. He was more embellished then the others with tarnished rings on his fingers and a top hat that held more than enough wilted feathers. He stopped next to Lemures who hadn't turned his attention toward them. The man was several inches shorter and without any formal introduction reached out and grasped Lemures' red cloak and tried to tug him towards him. Lemures stood his ground and allowed himself to be tugged at. The man pressed his body against his and whispered something that sounded like "hermano". He continued to chant this as he tugged and Lemures finally brushed his hand against the man's shoulder to push him away. It was only meant to be a polite shove but the man didn't take the hint.

"You might want to try pushing him a little harder," Larva suggested.

Lemures looked at him. "You do that and see what happens." The other men stood by hands raised if their leader was harmed.

"I don't mean to be bothersome but what exactly is that man trying to do?"

The man suddenly opened his mouth with fangs elongated and attempted to bring them into Lemures wrist but he was shoved ruthlessly aside and into the arms of his waiting companions.

"Looks like you get to wait another night with your dignity," he said to Larva as he moved past him. Larva followed looking back at the men standing in a tight circle and hissing their curses with their fangs elongated, obviously offended by the lack of respect shown. They were vampires too but were characteristically different from Lemures and himself.

"Those were Catholic vampires," Lemures explained to Larva when they were once again in the carriage riding off to some unknown destination. "They are intolerably uncivil and extremely territorial. They are set on sharing blood with any traveling vampire that crosses into their territory."

"Why?"

"They crave knowledge about the world but they are cursed to stay within their territory."

"They can't just leave?"

"No. Every vampire has a curse. That just happens to be the price paid by a Catholic vampire."

Larva found it odd that a vampire would be held by the restrictions of a religion. "So it seems the church is dominant after all."

"When one is wielding the power known as God over people who fear him, then it shall always rein dominate."

"Then we too are cursed?"

"All vampires are."

"Then what is it?"

Lemures shook his head. "You'll have to find that out for yourself. At this point in time, it seems that your dignity is going to cause you to go into a phase known as bloodlust."

"I will not . . . ." Larva began but was cut off when something suddenly struck the carriage. It swayed to the side on two wheels but Lemures threw himself against the other side to bring it down. The horses neighed and flew into a gallop. The carriage began to bounce along the road at top speed and Larva had to keep his hands against the ceiling to keep from hitting his head whenever they hit a pothole in the road. The curtains were open and they both saw a green shadow racing through the trees to keep up with them. It suddenly wavered, then attacked the carriage at a diagonal sending it off its wheels and rolling over down a ravine. The horses screamed as they were pulled off the road by the weight of the carriage and tangled up in their harnesses as they tumbled over each other. The carriage landed upside down, the axle damaged beyond repair and the wheels continued to spin. Blood filled Larva's mouth from where his had bit the inside of his mouth. The warm liquid didn't taste like copper as it had a few nights before. It was still salty but sweet like wine. He head seemed to be dwelling in a fog but the pain in his head kept him from falling too far back into it. It felt as if he had split his head open. It probably had since they had been tumbling around inside the carriage like rocks. His head was resting on the seat and his legs were tangled in Lemures cloak. He was probably pinned to the floor, or what use to be the ceiling of the carriage, underneath him but Larva couldn't move to get off of him.

He could hear the horses outside still screeching and the carriage shuddered as they tried to get away from the wreckage. Or an unknown foe, because one by one the horses were silenced. Larva waited in the dark cabin of the carriage mouth open to let the blood flow from his mouth because he refused to swallow it. It must have come to Lemures' attention because he hissed for him to stop the bleeding. Larva didn't understand but closed his mouth and allowed the blood to collect on his tongue.

The carriage rocked again as something jumped onto the broken axle and began to pry it off. Lemures tried to push Larva off of him but Larva wouldn't budge and stared dumbly above him. Moonlight suddenly poured into the cabin and two hands reached down and pulled him up from the dark. He was suddenly staring into the red eyes of a shaggy haired vampire, fangs elongated and mad with hunger. His hands were covered in the moist guts of the horses left in pieces at the front of the carriage. The vampire threw Larva from the top of the carriage and pounced after him aiming for his neck. Larva rolled off to the side and the vampire landed on the ground and side swiped him with the talons protruding from his fingers. Larva gasped as blood burst from the slash wounds at his side but he flew to his feet and face the vampire. It growled at him, licking its fangs and charged him, bringing him down to the ground. Larva managed to gouge out one of its eyes before it pinned him down. Only then did Larva realize just how weak he was not only with the gapping wound in his side but from the lack of blood. The vampire bowed its head over Larva's and lapped up the blood that had slipped from his lips. It suddenly roared and slashed at Larva's neck to start a flood of blood for it to feed on. It was just about to bite when it was thrown off its prey and bashed into a tree. Larva touched the blood streaming from his throat with the tips of his finger and the fog came over his mind again. But like before, what control he had and the pain seemed to keep him from dipping too far into it, which was probably a good thing. In the background he could hear the vampire screaming and the sound of flesh being shredded. When Larva was able to pry his sight away from the blood on his hands to look up, Lemures was standing over him with blood on his hands. The entire ordeal managed to lay a gash across his brow but other than that he was virtually unscathed. He knelt forward and helped Larva up, putting his arm over his shoulder to keep him upright. Larva swayed as they made their way back to the wreckage.

"What you have just witnessed was a censored example of bloodlust," he told Larva as they looked over the mangled bodies of the horses. Most of them had been skinned to the bone while the vampire had searched desperately for blood. "The thing was so mad that it hadn't even realized that the horses were mere shells. That's how crazed one gets during the phase. It'll attack anything that moves: animals, humans, even those of its own kind. It won't stop until its satiated even if it feeds enough to be full. Once its hunger is extinguished it can kill and kill until the phase wears off. It could kill an entire village during a phase."

"That severe?" Larva sputtered through a torn trachea.

Lemures kicked one of the bodies at his feet and it twitched. He sat Larva down and forced the half dead horse to its feet. Of course, the horse had already been dead but now it was broken to the point where it would not function. The horse whined and tried to kneel back down but Lemures kicked its crippled leg so they were forced back into position. He picked Larva up and laid him over the horse's back and forced the horse to climb up the ravine. When they made it back to the road, the horse collapsed and did not get up. Lemures helped Larva up and they walked down the road.

"Where are we going?" Larva asked. The smell of his blood was nearly drowning his senses and he was experiencing a light-headed sensation that made his body numb.

"We must find a shelter before the sun rises." Lemures looked to the moon, which was beginning its descent. "We only have a couple of hours."

Larva swayed against him. "Let's go back to the village."

"It's owned territory. We'd be driven out."

"But there's blood there," he mumbled dreamily like a child.

Lemures shook his head in amazement. "So quick to change you opinion?"

Larva nodded completely out of it. "Blud dozen't tazte soo bad affer all." Blood poured from his mouth, as his trachea was complete cut off and he couldn't speak any more.

They finally found a secluded place on the side of a hill, a small cave that was set in about ten feet. It was low and they had to kneel in order to move towards the furthest corner. It was dark and the moon light barely provided enough light to illuminate the entrance of the den but it was dry and all Larva wanted to do was sleep but Lemures shook him awake. "Next time I suggest you feed at the first village that hasn't been claimed." Larva nodded in a daze then smelled a new source of blood well up and the scent overpowered his senses as it filled the cavern.

He didn't want to at first. No matter how much blood he had lost he was still repulsed by the idea of feeding but his new instincts were hard to resist. And the fear of bloodlust was still fresh in the back of his mind, so he left his dignity behind and fed.

Because that is the way of a vampire. . . . . . . . .

(-)

Years past, and Larva fell into the routine of being a vampire. He rarely questioned anything anymore and could hunt for himself. In the first few years, he developed stipulations on who he would hunt. No children or women; only men and better yet fugitives or prisoner. Might as well rid the world of one more criminal while he was at it. It was a lot lighter on the conscious. He had once asked Lemures if taking blood from the sickly would be deleterious and he had said no but the quality the blood would be weaker and it would be a waste of time. So he granted a short death to those who were dying slowly.

The past was behind him although sometimes it would quickly remind him that it was still there when he saw a likeness to his father or Theresa in the people they'd see from their hiding places during the day. They never traveled by carriage again but rather walked or stole horses and rode them to death over miles of unpaved roads. He had somehow developed a companionship with Lemures and it surprised him at times how well they worked together. Yet he knew nothing about the man he traveled with or how he came to be vampiric. He had found out that vampires were not conceived and birthed but rather a recreation of human flesh. That meant, unbelievably so, he had once been a human too.

Several year again would past until he would find out after the eve of his first attempt to change another. He and Lemures were traveling through the German countryside when they came across a small village that seemed empty of its people. After scouring the streets for signs of life they found every citizen crammed into a small church at the center of the village. They stood by the doors and listened in as the preacher begged for protection from the demons that were killing off their livestock.

"It seems that someone has already been here," Larva whispered. He looked up at the moon. "It's almost midnight. Do you think these people are going to stay in there all night?"

Lemures chuckled. "We could just waltz right inside amongst them. Better yet, how about we set the place aflame and see if they decide to stay in there over night?"

Larva scowled. "We are not setting fire to anything." He looked around at the dark houses and shops. "It seems were feeding from animals tonight unless you're willing to wait another night?"

"If there is another vampire stalking amongst their livestock then we'd do well to stay away from their barns. If it has stayed long here it may be territorial."

They found an abandoned home on the outskirts of the village before dawn broke and rested there for the day. As the sun was setting, the sky was overcast and Larva was able to look out through the window to watch the villagers go about their evening activities. The shop owners were closing up early and the streets were emptying out quickly. It seemed that only a few minutes had passed until the streets were deserted except for a group of men clad in white. One man was holding open a bible and was blessing each man individually. They had with them a boy dressed in work clothes, a crucifix chained to his neck. Once the priest had finished blessing the group, including the boy, the group led the boy out into the woods. They came back a few minutes later without him. By now, Lemures was standing behind him watching the entire scene. "It seems we've just witness a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice? Is the vampire demanding sacrifices?"

"Doubtful. Vampires prefer to hunt. They'll find that out soon enough." He opened the door to the outside. "Shall we?" They stepped out together and wandered down the empty streets. "It seems their spending another night in the church."

"Should we find the sacrifice and see what this vampire looks like?" Larva asked.

"There's no reason to bother," Lemures responded. "Besides, we were out here to hunt and it could take us another night to find another village that's unoccupied to feed." Larva followed him to the road that would lead them out of the village when a crash came from the sable located behind the inn.

"It seems the vampire wasn't interested in the sacrifice after all," Lemures mused. Larva let curiosity get he best of him and started moving towards the stable. "Leave it alone, Larva."

Larva stopped within the doorway and peered in. Inside the horses stood in their stalls, shifting side to side while whining nervously. The sable was small, only having ten stalls. There were very few places to hide. He pressed himself against the wall as he moved further inside. Then he heard the sound of something being beaten with a metal rod and the gagged cries of an animal. He peered around the corner of the last stall and saw a red haired boy, around the age of eighteen wearing the same kind of work clothes the sacrifice had been wearing, beating a donkey with a shovel. The donkey had a muzzle around its snout to keep its cries from being heard. When the animal finally died, the boy picked up a two-pronged pitchfork and stabbed its neck.

"So you're the vampire?" Larva asked coming into full view of the boy. The boy looked up, shock clearly showing on his face and Larva hid his surprise seeing that the boy was not a Westerner but an Oriental. He must have been a servant imported from one of the Eastern countries.

"Who are you?" the boy asked in a heavy accent holding out the pitchfork, ready to attack.

"Just a traveler," Larva said. "I was passing by when I heard the noise." He saw the dented metal barrels toppled to one side where the donkey must have back-kicked in distress. "I thought you might need some help."

"I don't need no help," the boy sputtered.

"Why did you kill the animal?"

"It was sick. It needed to die."

"That is no way to put done a sick animal. Didn't your master give you a gun to do the job?" he paused. "Or did you not get permission to kill it?"

The boy knew he had been caught red handed but he decided to play dumb. "Wakarimasen?"

Larva frowned. He couldn't understand what the boy had said.

"What are you doing in here, stranger?" Larva turned to see the innkeeper standing behind him with a gun in his hand. The innkeeper got a good look at the dead donkey and the boy holding the pitchfork and his face turned red. "So, you've been killing all these animals, you filthy, colored bastard! I'm going to kill you." He held up his gun but Larva grabbed him by his neck and broke it. The man crumpled to the floor. The servant boy stared at him in wonderment more than fear. Larva stared down at the body debating whether or not to drag it into the forest to feed on when the boy handed him the pitchfork.

"What for?" Larva asked.

"Vampire prints," the boy said sheepishly. "To make like vampire work."

Larva smiled at him, fangs elongated. "That won't be necessary but thank you."

The boy's eyes were as wide as they could be while he watched Larva drained every drop of blood from the man's dead body. When he was finished the boy took a step back, fearing he would be next. "You a vampire."

"Yes, and your English needs work."

The boy rubbed his arm. "Don't want to work on English. I want to stop working shit and go home."

"Then go."

"Can't."

"Why not?"

The boy stared him in the eye but was shamefaced. "Sick. I won't live to see home."

"What sickness?" Larva asked. The boy coughed and spit a thick clump of blood onto the straw covered floor. Tuberculosis. The boy wouldn't live longer than a year without medicine and since he was a servant, no one would buy it for him. The boy attempted to pass him but he held him back. "Come with me."

"Why?"

"Don't ask why just come." The boy followed obediently. They left the sable and Larva followed the trail Lemures left behind for him, after getting tired of waiting around, and met him about a mile down the road away from the village. Lemures took one look at the boy then looked at Larva. "You know I prefer to hunt."

"Would you be insulted if I told you I didn't bring him for you?"

"I'd be slightly hurt but wondering what you intend to do with him."

"I want to change him."

"Oh, so you want to keep him as a pet?"

"No," Larva looked down at the boy who was trying hard to understand what was being said. "I want to cure his disease without killing him so he can go home."

"How compassionate."

"I'm serious."

"Well, then do it."

"Just do it?"

"Yes, just give him your blood," he sounded annoyed like it was that obvious. "Make sure he knows the consequences." He turned away from them. "I'd never thought I'd see the day when you'd change someone. You use to despise yourself."

"This is different," Larva said. The boy frowned still not understanding what was going on. "It's your decision to make whether or not you want this to happen. In order to cure you, I can give you my blood and turn you into a vampire." The boy's eyes widened at this. "You will not be able to go out into the sun light and must travel at night but you should have no problem returning to your homeland." He looked back at Lemures who gave him an amused look. "You also have to feed on other living things in order to stay alive."

The boy nodded quickly.

"You understand?"

"Yes," he said. "I want it."

Larva shook his head. "You don't understand."

"Yes I do. Vampire, blood, stay out of light, and live forever. I want to go home."

Larva sighed. He wished the boy would give it more thought or at least have hesitated before agreeing. "Ok." He clawed his wrist open and offered it to him. The boy hesitated then but reached for it and placed his mouth against it to drink.

Larva stayed with the boy while he went through the transformation. Lemures went off to hunt and when he came back the transformation was completed. A surprising side effect was the boy, who told Larva his name was Kyroku, developed the ability to speak and understand clear English and after taking his blood, Larva spoke and understood Kyroku's native language, Japanese. During their time together, Kyroku told of how his family was captured by foreign missionaries and deported to Europe to be used as slaves. "The missionaries believed that if we worked under the white people we would be granted salvation," Kyroku said. "Instead, my family contracted a disease and slowly died off. I am the last one alive." Kyroku also explained why he had been killing the animals in the sables and barns. He had heard talk of other villages releasing their servants into the woods as sacrifices to vampires. He thought if a vampire threatened the village it too would start to send servants, so he started to stage the deaths in order to free the servants.

"That was very cleaver but you have no one to go home too?"

"I have my country. That's all I need.

When he was ready to depart, he said, "Thank you, Larva, for freeing me from my captivity and the disease. I hope that someday our paths will cross."

"Perhaps when we become bored with traveling across Europe, we'll come visit your country."

"You won't be disappointed with its beauty." Kyroku smiled and after a brief embrace, disappeared into the night.

Lemures appeared behind Larva and tapped him on the shoulder. "It's time to leave here."

"You were gone a long while," Larva said. "There have to be villages close by."

"I left the country. There was somewhere I needed to be."

Larva didn't question where but concentrated on keeping in pace with him. They were moving a lot faster than he was use to. "Why in such a hurry."

"We're returning there tonight." He didn't elaborate any further so Larva kept silent. They reached the country's border before dawn and rested at the bottom of a cliff with an out growth of rocks shielding them from the sun. The second the sun disappeared below the horizon the next night, they were on their way. They made it to their destination with only an hour to spare before sunrise. Hidden in a low valley surrounded by a thick grove of trees was a small abandoned farm community. They walked through the empty streets; vacant shops still open waiting for customers, windows open to empty flower boxes, and sables full of dusty hay barrels and rusted tools. Larva could smell its age in the unnaturally clean air and realized it had been unoccupied for some time. Its location must have kept it hidden from the rest of the world. They left the village and past a cemetery where Larva stopped for a moment. It was a sad sight to behold. Weeds had over grown every inch of the land enclosed by a decrepit wood fence. But it was the crudeness of the stones that made him feel his dead human emotions stir. The stones close to the back of the graveyard were professionally carved with clean letters. Each grave was equally spaced in a row. At the front, closest to them, the gravestones were jumbled together, some just centimeters apart for each other and damaged. Names were scrawled crudely onto the stone with no preparation as if it was meant to be a quickly burial. The village must have been wiped out by an epidemic. Larva hurried to find Lemures who had continued on without him. The path wound back through the forest and up a small incline where the trees opened up to a small cliff overlooking a lake. Lemures stood on the small cliff in front of a stone cross; a lone gravestone.

Larva didn't want to interrupt but the surroundings were stirring something deep inside him that greatly disturbed him. "What happened here?"

"Vampires happened here." He sat down in front of the grave and wrapped his red cloak around himself as the first signs of dawn rose up above the horizon. Larva sat next to him and followed suit. There was no name on the stone but Larva swore he could hear something somewhere. He wasn't quite sure but it was somewhere close by and . . . . . He almost jumped up. It was coming from underneath them.

Lemures sighed. "Don't mind my brother. I'm sure he's just wanting to say hello."

Larva settled back down. He could hear, feel, a heart beating beneath them. "Hello?" he greeted rather sheepishly to the ground. They sat in silence listening to the heartbeat and watching the sky change colors. When the sun finally peaked over the horizon, Larva covered his face with a black scarf that hung around his neck. "It might be about time we find a darker place. He heard a hissing sound, like steam escaping from a cold surface and repeated what he requested. Finally, Lemures stood and they returned to the darkness of the forest. "Are you alright?" Larva asked slowly pulled down his scarf.

"As well as I can be," was the response. He was looking away from him and Larva didn't coax the conversation any further until Lemures strolled casually into a tree. He recoiled and walked somewhat unsure across the path and into another tree. They finally stopped at a weeping willow and sat under the branches when Larva noticed that Lemures' emerald eyes were frosted over by white orbs. He was blind. He suddenly figured out what had made the hissing noise and realized that he must have stared at the gravestone while the sun rose.

"Why are we here?" Larva prompted.

"Just to make a short visit. We will leave tonight."

"Will your brother be joining us?" He regretted asking because it plunged them into an agonizing moment of silence before a murmured response. "No."

Larva didn't know whether to offer his condolences or just keep them to himself. "Are you well aware that you just crashed into a tree?"

He chuckled. "As well aware as I was when my eyes were burning out of my sockets." Larva didn't find that in the least bit funny but knew his eyes would be fully healed by the next night. "I wanted to see what the sun looked like after all these years."

"Is it what you expected?"

"It was until I started to burn. He used to love that place."

"Is this where he lived?"

"It's where _we_ grew up."

So, that was it. He had sensed that this village held some importance from how quickly they had traveled to it. "What happened here? Did vampires wipe out this entire village?"

"No, a vampire scare. Humans destroyed this village. We are currently residing on the land of the former Lord Dedrick."

"That name sounds oddly familiar." Larva mused. He knew he had heard it somewhere.

"It should. He would have been the ancestor of Lord Salvia and his fair daughter," he said it with some disdain. Years ago, when Larva had been engaged to Theresa Salvia, his father had told him the Salvias feared a fanged demon that had sworn to kill all relations to the family. Lemures had turned out to be that "so-called" demon and successfully wiped out the Salvia line. It seemed that this Lord Dedrick had been the one to doom his lineage. "That man was more superstitious than your father-in-law."

"How long has this village been like this?"

"Over a century and then some."

"Is that how old you are?" Lemures glared at him with sightless eyes, not in the mood for jokes. "Aging to a vampire has no effect on the mind, you remember that Larva," he hissed and then slumped forward exhausted.

"You need blood?" Larva asked concerned.

"I need to do penance." Larva gathered him up into his arms so he could rest somewhat comfortably. "I despise that man."

"Tell me?" Larva asked.

"There were wolves in the forest. They showed up after a storm and wouldn't leave. They killed off several of the livestock and every so often one would drag a child away. A hunting party was sent out to destroy them all and not a single hunter returned. We didn't realize how lucky we were to just have wolves stalking amongst the trees. The disturbance of the hunters killing off the wolves attracted a more dangerous kind of predator. They were more animalistic than they were man and they, like the wolves, started to kill the livestock. They moved through the village and picked off the adults who worked through the night. Then more children disappeared but those who hunted for these strange creatures during the day would come back telling of how they saw the children running under the trees, keeping out of the sunlight. Other villages around ours were experiencing the same sort of phenomenon but any messenger sent to the city never returned."

"Vampires travel in groups?" Larva took advantage of the momentary silence.

"They can travel in packs of more than fifteen with one leading male. If you think you were being controlled in the beginning, a pack leader will kill anything that can think for itself."

"Should I be grateful?"

"If you enjoy thinking for yourself."

"Hm, interesting, so you've traveled with one of these packs?"

"For a short period of time. You could say we had a difference of opinions."

"Are they still around today?"

"They could be anywhere. Last I heard, the master was destroyed by a traveling group of missionaries, so we won't have to worry about running into him again."

"Was he that bad of a man?" Larva asked.

"Well, let's see. He killed our parents, he ran off with several children in the village, and he locked me in a tool shed for several days. Does he sound like a nice fellow to you?" He was becoming increasingly sarcastic so Larva simply shook his head. "He was trying to strengthen his numbers by converting humans but newly converted vampires had a tendency to run out in the sun being instantly destroyed."

"So that's why he locked you in the shed."

"Before striking me across the back of the head with a shovel. I was able to break the lock from the inside to get out."

"Did you know what he had done?"

"Damned me? Yes. He was planning on leaving the village that night. He left only a few humans to build the village back up so he could harvest from it again in the years to come. My brother was one of the few left alive but he was crippled and I begged him to come with me."

Larva instantly knew where the story was headed. His brother refused to go and instead decided to take his chances among humans. Cripples weren't treated as humans. Children with any type of defect were left in the woods to die. He had been born with his ankle twisted inward and couldn't walk straight. Lemures returned years later to find that the village had been vacated. Lord Dedrick had put out a draft to build an army trained to defend his realm against the undead and was so crazed that he took anyone he could get even if they were crippled.

"I went to the city and found that my brother had been turned into a senseless soldier who obeyed orders from a higher power."

"Why didn't you take him by force?" Larva asked. "You could have slipped him your blood and carried him off."

"He would have rather died and I couldn't guarantee if he would be able to walk without a limp or be cursed to live longer with it. So, I killed him, brought him back to our home, and buried him." Lemures refused to talk after that and they slept under the weeping willow until the sun disappeared from the sky. Larva wanted to know why his brother's heart was still beating under the earth after all these years but decided that the question would be better left unanswered. They roamed past unoccupied villages that were near by, some that only held skeletons of the farms and houses.

More time past. Lemures took Larva into his confidence and instilled in him the secrets of his life before they had met. There were days when they wouldn't sleep because they were too busy musing over the past. Larva spoke very little about his childhood, not ready to face it all again but he talked frequently about mother before she had died. A century had already past since he had become a vampire and Larva had changed his mind about his situation, having grown fond of his companion and their journeys.

Then, about half way through the next century, it was all stripped away from him.

They were traveling along the Romanian boarder when they came across a village in the middle of a valley. Upon entering the village, they found that it was entirely empty. No people, no animal, and no prosperous life. Weeds greedily ate up the fertile soil leaving the fields sucked dried of nutrients for crops.

"Looks like someone got here before we did," Larva observed.

Lemures knelt down and taking a handful of dried soil, let it slip through his fingers. "There's salt sown into this earth."

"Perhaps the town was ransacked by vandals. They could have sown the salt into the dirt to drive the people away."

"Rome did this to Carthage at one time in history but why weren't the other villages around it desecrated?"

A board fell from the roof of a building and they looked up to see a line of archers with fiery arrows aimed at them. More men appeared wearing black tunics blazing a golden cross on the front. Some held large crosses made of birch wood and others carried birch wood stakes.

"Looks like we've walked into a puppet town?" Larva said.

"They're getting smarter," Lemures noticed. "But they're still only humans with half a brain."

"Shall we take our leave?"

"If they'll let us."

They moved back and the line of archers let loose their arrows. They dodged them gracefully and the men with stakes and swords swarmed in around them. Larva had never been in a situation where he was forced to slaughter a human. But when a man wearing a bright red mask tried to impale him, he swung out at him and took off him head, sending a geyser of blood into the air. His comrades didn't waver for a moment. They knocked the headless body to the ground and stepped on it to take a strike at him. Lemures guarded Larva's back but at the surge continued they became farther and farther apart until Larva couldn't see him through the bloodshed. Archers continued to rain down flaming arrows from the rooftops. Most missed, hitting fellow fighters or sending nearby houses a flame. An arrow hit Larva's shoulder and he smothered the flames as he tried to fight his way through the surge. Finally, there was a break in the uneven ranks and he sprinted past them in a blur and escaped through an opening in the wall that surrounded the village. The archers followed him with their arrows and he ran up the length of the wall and landed to the roof. They hesitated and he took advantage of the moment and killed them all, throwing their carcasses off the roof. Down below, the living were in a state of panic. The injured were trampled to death under the mass chaos as Larva jumped from roof to roof of the buildings that weren't burning searching for Lemures. He finally leapt down from the opposite wall and skirted the village searching for any sign of him. It was summer, and the sun would rise at any moment. He ran tirelessly through the high grasses to find a hidden alcove or cave. He finally caught onto a trail of blood and raced along it. He stopped when he found a carcass, mauled to the point Larva couldn't tell if it was a human or an animal. There was another trail of blood and he followed it up to a cave hidden amongst jagged rocks and boulders. He scrambled inside just as the sun's rays stretched out across the land and laid his head against the cold surface. When he had recomposed himself, he crawled deeper into the cave and found Lemures crumpled in the corner, blood pooling around him. Larva reached him and leaned over him. He was asleep but the blood hadn't drained from his face as it usual did when he slept. Larva found that the pool of blood was growing increasingly bigger and he pulled back the folds of the soaked red cloak and found a blood stained stake buried in his chest. He couldn't look away. It was right over the heart. Larva touched it, grasped it, and tore it out. Blood streamed from Lemures' lips but he didn't wake up.

Larva was distraught. He sat away from the body, planning his revenge when he finally came to realize that the carcass outside the cave was the man who had implanted the stake. There was no one he could reasonably take his fury out upon. Night fell but he stayed in the cave and wept like a child. Several nights past before his hunger forced him out of his hiding place and back to the village where the bodies of the fallen had been left to rot. He drank only enough that wouldn't get him sick and he killed anyone that came through to see if he had returned.

He had been a nomad from the time he had been a vampire but now he stayed in one place, haunting the valley and plaguing the travelers and missionaries that dare journey into his domain. No one past through alive. It came until a point when the long grasses died and grew back tainted red from the blood soaked soil.

One day, Larva was stalking through the valley when a figure in a green cloak appeared from the grasses. The hood fell back revealing a fiery, red-haired youth.

"Kyroku?" Larva said stunned. He had never expected to see the young man after he had left for his homeland.

"What's happened Larva? Why are you in such turmoil? Your blood has been churning in my veins demanding that I come see you." Kyroku embraced him and they exchanged blood before Larva took Kyroku to the cave where Lemures body still lied, unscathed by decay. Kyroku held Larva as he told him what had happened during the ambush in the village.

"Oh Larva," Kyroku whispered. "You've suffered a great lost, but you can't stay here. If there are missionaries in this area they will eventually find you and you will meet the same fate."

"I don't think I can bring myself to leave this place."

"There is a rumor being past amongst the vampires in the Eastern World," Kyroku began. "I happened to hear it while I was traveling the coast searching for a boat that would take me here. Some believe that there is an underground water supply that has a spectacular effect on vampires' bodies. No one knows what it is or where it is but if it is as miraculous as these vampires claimed then it may bring about a miracle in bring your friend back from the dead."

Larva thought it over for a minute. There was really nothing he could lose from traveling to the Eastern World to search out this miracle water that Kyroku spoke of. He fell asleep and Kyroku left just before nightfall to return hours later with news of which ships were leaving for a journey across the Pacifica. They boarded a ship that night taking goods through the Panama Canal to India. When the ship cleared the tropic waters, Larva and Kyroku were able to stowaway on to another ship heading to Japan while their ship was at port for provisions. They landed in Japan a month later and began their search for the water starting in southern Japan and working their way north.

Kyroku had been right. Japan was a beautiful country even at night but Larva was unable to enjoy it to the fullest with his growing obsession of finding the water. They would leave Lemures' body in an undisclosed location during the night while they searched then would return for it in the morning. Occasionally, if there were a sufficient amount of trees in the area, they would travel during the day. The search took months and Larva was beginning to believe that the underground water was only a rumor, a myth when they stumbled across an opening in the ground that had been revealed by a recent landslide.

"I'll search through it," Kyroku said. "You stay here." He disappeared and didn't return for days. When he finally returned he was dirty, hungry, and exhausted but he had just enough energy to show a little bit of excitement. "It a damned maze down there but I found an opening. It must be forty feet down but there's some kind of fungus that lights the room and there are pools of water."

"Can you take me to it?" Larva asked suddenly on his feet.

"Yes," but then Kyroku's voice became severe. "But don't get your hopes up too high. It may turn out to be just well water."

They journeyed through the crudely dug corridors tall enough that Larva was able to walk without bowing his head. They turned numerous corners and chose the path Kyroku had marked when there was more than one to choose from. Finally, they entered a room where water trickled out from the walls in small streams into bowl shaped pools in the floor. The fungus on the walls threw an eerie blue light that made the room truly beautiful.

"What do we do now?" Larva asked. His voice was carried away and bounced lightly off the high ceiling.

"I'm not sure. I think placing him in the water should be sufficient enough. That way it'll go into his body through the wound," Kyroku replied. Larva laid Lemures' body into the pool and sat back to watch. Kyroku cupped his hands and submerged them into another pool. "We won't know how long we have to wait here."

"We're vampires," Larva lightly reminded him. "We have all eternity." Kyroku held his hands to his mouth and licked the beads of water from them. "Sorry to say this, but it tastes just like water." Larva drank the water too and just nodded lightly. Kyroku shed his cloak and wearing only a thin black shirt and black pants stepped into the water. "Might as well see what effect it has on a live vampire," he told Larva. "Besides, I could use a good bath."

Larva took off his black cloak and slipped into another pool of water with his clothes on. He laid back and closed his eyes. He didn't know for how long he slept but when he woke up he needed to feed. He sat up and allowed the water to rain down from him. The room was exactly the same from before he had fallen asleep. Kyroku sat on the floor, dry and wrapped in his cloak. Larva stared at him and Kyroku pointed to the pool next to him. Lemures still lay in the water, which was still clear regardless of the blood stained cloak. "How long has it been?" Larva inquired.

Kyroku sighed. "You've been asleep for two months now." He shook his head. "I'm sorry Larva, but I'm afraid this may have only been a rumor."

"Oh," was all he could say. Finally he straightened up and took his cloak. "I'm going out."

"Larva wait!" Kyroku said as Larva fled from the room. Kyroku took off after him and tried to bring him back but Larva was too fast. When he could see the sunlight spilling in through the opening of the cavern, Larva continued to run towards, ignoring Kyroku's loud protests. He ran out into the light and tripped over the uneven surface of the ground and tumbled to a halt. Kyroku cried after him but he did not go out into the light. Larva held up his hands and found that they were still pale and not burning away from the sun. He stared up at the yellow orb in the sky and was blinded. He looked away and saw colored spots flashed before his eyes. The sun didn't burn him.

"Larva?" Kyroku said walking out into the sun. He held out his hands and the sun didn't burn him either. That was the miracle of the water. It made vampires immortal to the sun, not bring them back from the dead. Larva got up and took off, running away from the cavern. Kyroku followed him but soon lost track of him and returned to the cavern where he met other vampires standing in the room with the pools. Larva continued to run until he collapsed under a grove of trees. He slammed his hands into the ground and mourned over losing his friend again. Then he lay in the summer heat and refused to feed.

He lay like this for several days, fighting back his thirst. He remember the warning of bloodlust he had been given decades ago but the memory slowly faded away till he could no longer recall what kind of threat it held.

Then, something inside of him shut down and he couldn't be sure if he was thinking for himself or if he was possessed by some higher being.

That was when he became sharply conscious of the beings around him. There were deer roaming the field but he was more acutely aware of the hunters. He stalked silently across the land until he stood behind two men cleaning their rifles. He killed them both before they had a chance and drained them dry but the feeling of being beside himself wouldn't leave him and he continued to search for more blood. He was crazed unable to stop himself, a menace to society. He would kill and kill never being satisfied.

(-)

Larva drew himself up from his memories and looked up to find himself at a small house on the outskirts of a town. He opened the door that swung inward on one hinge and stepped inside the foyer. He knew this house, and he walked into the kitchen sending up a cloud of dust as he dragged his feet. There were still stains on the yellowed wallpaper. It was a wonder why the government hadn't torn down this house. He knew that time was of the essence if he wanted to find Miyu but he couldn't help inhaling the stale air. The memories were just as vivid as they were when they had happened.

(-)

Miyu wrapped her arms around herself as she walked along a trail she was quite familiar with. After running herself to exhaustion she found herself on land that was all too familiar but with nowhere else to go she decided to refamiliarize herself with her homeland. Anything that would get her away from Larva, the vampires, and the cavern. The trees opened up and she was able to see the lights of a small town. Now that she was seeing it again, she found that it had grown somewhat since she had left but it still would be considered one of the smallest towns in Japan. She walked down a steep hill and followed another path that lead away from the blaring lights and the sounds of people. It hadn't been that long ago when she had been walking this way from school.

The surroundings morphed and suddenly she was walking home from school. Her dress had changed into a simple schoolgirl uniform and she was carrying a backpack with her books. Miyu didn't notice this but the memories were slowly emerging from the depths of her mind where she thought she had left them. Upon reaching the driveway leading up to the house, she heard the shattering of glass and one of the windows was blown out sending glass into the bushes. She ran up to the door that was hanging open on one hinge and went in. Inside she perceived a cloaked man standing in the middle of the kitchen where blood was dripping off the walls. The room suddenly darkened. The blood faded to dark brown smudges on the yellowed wallpaper and the air was filled with gray dust.

Larva turned, surprised to see Miyu standing behind him. Her hands went to her mouth.

"It was you!" She gasped then she screamed. "You did this! You killed them!" Tears were streaming down her face and before Larva could stop her, she ran from the house and disappeared into the night.

To Be Continued . . . . . .

BlueDragonGirl1: Whew! This has got to be the longest chapter I have written for any fanfic. Thanks for the patience guys! Hope it was worth the wait. **R&R!!!**


	10. Unclear Future

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter

Chapter 10: Unclear Future

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Princess Miyu, only the characters I have contributed to the writing of this fanfiction and the poem.

_Try to be angry_

_Beat, beat, beat against your chest_

_Tear ruts into the ground_

_Swallow your pride_

_Don't let the extremes consume_

_your already dying heart_

_The truth is harsh, you cannot handle_

_But a lie will make the truth jagged_

_And cut you like a knife._

Larva turned, surprised to see Miyu standing behind him. Her hands went to her mouth."It was you!" She gasped then she screamed. "You did this! You killed them!" Tears were streaming down her face and before Larva could stop her, she ran from the house and disappeared into the night.

Larva reached out towards where she had been and grasped air. He had not intended for her to know so soon. In fact, he hadn't intended for her to know at all. He clenched his hands so tightly that his nails dug into the palms and blood soon swelled from the shallow wounds. Her reaction made him feel ashamed for what he had done. Descending into a state of bloodlust had shielded him from his misery but only for a short period of time. When he had resurfaced from it, he had felt hung over, as if he had drunk too much, and the feeling of misery had intensified. He had pitied girl whose parents he had slaughtered without reason. They had been taken away much like how Lemures had been torn from him. He had tried to go after the girl, but as weakened and emotionally drained as he had been, he had been unable to track her to the best of his ability and she was given ample time to flee.

Remembering this, he flew through the front door. He couldn't allow that to happen again, especially at such a crucial time. Miyu was in no way capable of being out on her own. She hadn't spent enough time in the water to survive more than a couple days' exposure to sunlight. And if she did anything to exhaust herself, that time would greatly diminish.

The night was no longer young and the sun would soon rise. He was racing against the clock and he could literally hear the seconds ticking off.

(-)

Miyu should have been exhausted ten times over had she been human, but being the opposite she continued to run. Tree branches, rocks, weeds, dead brush, and high grasses either yielded to the force of her body as she past or were torn from their places. She would not slow down for any obstacle even the tears that were still streaming down her face, obscuring her vision, sometimes to the point where the only way to clear it would be to run with both eyes closed and willingly crash into anything that may come up in her way.

Her situation had gone from bad to worse and she had thought being turned into a vampire was as bad as her life could get. Apparently that wasn't the case. A long time ago, she had sworn to slay the vampire who had destroyed her life as she knew it. That had been her sole reason for joining the ranks of the vampire hunters. And now, she had finally found the identity of the vampire who had killed her family and it turns out to be the one who had changed her. That was one too many kicks to the face.

And she had suffered through many.

Although she was upset, she started to push her emotions aside so she could plan her next move. The longer she ran for, the further away from the cavern she would get, and the farther she got, the harder it would be for Larva to drag her back. And she wouldn't be going without a fight. She would have to find a place to hide first. Already she could make out the faint outline of her shadow running ahead of her as the sun rose behind her back. The few rays that were beginning to reach above the horizon made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She should be able to withstand the sun's light. She had spent more than enough time in the water. Regardless of the fact, she decided to find a place to hideout while it was day time. Some place crowded: a city.

But Miyu had no idea where she was or if she was even running in the right direction. So far, she had taken no notice of any populated places or landmarks she would be familiar with. She peered over her shoulder. The sun was rising fast and it wasn't like she could outrun it. She changed her direction and started running north to see if she could come across an area with people with the precious time she had left and still found nothing. She cursed herself, knowing she should have gone south, but she was out of time. She halted and watched as the sun revealed its full body to the land. She didn't burn up but she didn't feel like she wanted to sit out and sunbathe either. She looked around and spotted a weeping willow surrounded by foliage set off a ways from the woods. She jogged lightly over to the spot and crawled under the tree's vines. It was shady and cool underneath, not entirely dark but it was good enough. She placed herself under the bushes that grew half inside and half outside the shade of the tree so if Larva came upon her hiding place while she slept, he might look over her.

Sleep didn't come easy, though. Her mind was still racing around trying to build up a solid and workable plan to execute. Once the sun started to set, she would emerge from her hiding place and take up running again: to try to get as far as possible from the cavern. She would eventually come upon a city and then from there it would be a cakewalk. She would go into hiding and lay low until this past. Larva would eventually forget about her and she would go about her vampire-hunting ways. The changes she had incurred would be hard to live off though. She licked her dried lips. Such as right now, she had an ache in her stomach and her tongue felt as if it had been starched. She was craving something; sweet, thick, wet, warm. She shook it from her mind and tried to focus. It wouldn't be too hard to go back to her hunting schedule. She had, in the past, done her hunting at night and. . . .

She lapped at her lips again. They were so damned dry. They felt scaly, like the skin of a snake. And she felt that hunger gnawing at her. It disgusted her so much but it would be dangerous to ignore it. She had seen what a nearly-starved vampire can do when it becomes desperate. The "normal", everyday police officers first thought that it would be a good idea to try to trap vampires in their hideouts, to try to "starve" them out. But hunger had the opposite effect on vampires that it did on humans. Instead of becoming emaciated, they became more powerful in their desperation, and in their desperation, they became even more dangerous. She would have to find an alternative to feeding from humans. She couldn't stand the idea. She was a vampire physically but she wasn't going to act like one. That was a downright refusal. Perhaps she could raid a blood bank or steal from an on-going blood drive when she got to the city.

The thought eased her hunger. By giving in to it just a little bit slowed her racing mind. That was it, now all she had to do was sleep and regain her strength. She licked her parched lips again before she slipped into an easy sleep.

She woke up only a few hours later nowhere near fully-rested, her lips dry and her skin burning. The sun was right over her head and the few rays that managed to break through the weeping willows canopy caused her agonizing pain. She crawled back towards the trunk of the willow and pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging her knees. Her arms were sunburned a bright pink that hurt more than any sunburn she had ever experienced before in her life. Even out of the sun, the intense heat irritated her. She began to gnaw on her lower lip as her agitation grew. Larva had said that the water she laid in gave immunity from the sun's rays. She hadn't burned up but she wasn't relishing the feeling of being slowly cooked.

She peered out between the vines to search for another spot to lay, a darker, cooler spot. The forest she had emerged from was her best bet and only laid a couple hundred yards away. She would probably end up burnt in the process of getting there but it would be worth it. She stood up halfway and walked while hunched over to the edge where the willow's vines met the edge of the world. No matter how much it burned, she would just have to keep running. She pulled back the vines and dove into the light but hesitated. Although, the sudden exposure to the daylight temporarily blinded her night-accustomed eyes, her vision was clear enough to see the outline of a person coming towards her. She backtracked into the shade of the willow while her head spun around trying to come up with a conclusion. It should have been simple enough but her brain was confused. One side of it said she had seen this before, this person outlined by the moisture-weighted air like a mirage in a desert. But how? She had only glimpsed it for a moment, an inky black cloud coming towards her, but her brain was conjuring up an image of a dark red phantom emerging from the tree line. But the forest line her mind was giving her and the one she had planned on running towards were nowhere remotely alike. There were differences; how the trees were spaced, the undergrowth, the colors. Where had this image come from?

No matter. Someone or something was coming towards her and she had to run. She stood up but was taken down by the hunger that had gnawed at her gut. There was no use promising it blood once she got to the city. She was thirsty and her body wanted to be fed now! Her head swirled with mixed images of a red then black figure coming towards her from two different forests and she collapsed back onto the ground.

It was only moments later that Larva showed up, slowly parting the vines with his pale hands and red nails. He had to haunch down even more than she had to, to get under the willow's low canopy. He sat off a ways from her to give her some space. He knew she would not want anything to do with him; not now and perhaps not ever. It hadn't taken him long to get back on her trail again. She had left a fresh trail comprised of broken branches and kicked up earth. He noted the fresh burns on her arms and legs. It was apparent that the water's effect was wearing off.

The silence was touchable. Miyu wished she could grab a chunk of it and hurl it at Larva's face. The emotions she had managed to evade now swelled back in a torrent but this time she was angry. Angry and thirsty: a bad combination. She was about to swear at him but he spoke first.

"Now do you understand why?" he put shortly.

She sat up. The vagueness of his question pushed her even closer to an edge she didn't want to go over. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Larva shifted so he was facing her. "Why I turned you into a vampire?"

Miyu suddenly felt a new swell of emotions wash over her: guilt coupled with shame. She swallowed back a lump that was forming inside her throat. It had suddenly hit her like a bag of bricks. "You felt sorry for me?" she whispered. Then the wash ended and she was back to being enraged. "You killed my parents, felt bad for it, and then tried to make it better by turning me into the same damned creature that killed them?"

"I wanted to give you a gift of immortality. A chance for you to start your life over again with no limitations, to live it as you wanted too, as long as you wanted too."

"To live even longer with the memory of what you did. You bastard, what kind of gift is that?!"

"One that I felt would bring you back in touch with reality."

"You're the one who needs to be brought back to reality. Feel this!" Miyu chucked a rock that she found at him and it hammered him in the face. He took the blow like a man and didn't even wince. "I became a vampire hunter to hunt creatures like you. That is the reality."

Larva wiped the blood from his face where the rock had struck him. "The reality is you left yourself behind that night. You're still back at that house."

Miyu paused in her harassment. "Why would you care if I still have nightmares about that night or that I was changed by it? You didn't even take into consideration that I have no sympathy for your kind."

Larva nodded. "Yes, we tend to take things by force." He momentarily drifted back to the night of his change and Miyu was washed over with an emotion that assuaged her anger, diminished the fire inside of her.

Sorrow.

It was sorrow she felt. She didn't know why but the vacant look in Larva's eyes led her to believe that the emotion was implanted in her mind to control her. Or was it? She shook her head to wipe the emotions clean and decided to stay neutral.

"Several people died that night because of my poor judgment and lack of clear thinking. You were the only one who was profoundly affected because. . . ."

"Because I was the only one who lived." Miyu finished for him. Although, forcing her emotions to stay neutral, she managed to glare at him. "That still doesn't excuse what you've done."

"Nothing ever will."

"And I'm still going to kill you."

Larva blinked. He should have expected that reaction from her but for some reason it took him by surprise.

"I swore that I would slay the vampire who killed my parents. Knowing that it's you and how you've impacted my life at this point does not change that. I am still a vampire hunter."

Larva nodded, and to Miyu's surprise and half to her irritation, he smiled. "A vampire who hunts vampires? If you're not destroyed first you'll go down in history."

"Don't make light of this," she growled.

"I won't. I take you in all seriousness. I consider you an equal to me." He nodded to her burns and changed the subject. "Now, I hate to detour from your plans but we must return to the cavern."

Miyu stiffened. "I will do no such thing."

"Oh, but you must. You are exhausted beyond resources and the water will replenish your reserves. Immunity wise but you are in no way immune to your thirst."

Miyu scowled. "My thirst is none of your business."

"But it is, my dear," Miyu rolled her eyes at him but he continued regardless. "I can feel your thirst tearing you apart. I can feel it right here." He pointed to his chest where his heart was, a heart that she was looking forward to staking. "Your blood sings to me and it's crying out to be fed."

"I don't pride myself upon my singing so I hope you're suffering," Miyu muttered.

Larva chuckled. "Now, Miyu, please try to cooperate as we journey back to the cavern." Larva pulled his cloak off and draped it around Miyu's shoulders. "You won't admit it but you're helpless to resist at this point.

Miyu mumbled under her breath as she pulled the oversized hood over her head to hide her face. It was unbearably stuffy under his black cloak and with how long and big it was she was practically drowning in the fabric.

"Take my hand." She could feel the presence of his hand in front of her.

"You ask for a lot, don't you," she grumbled.

"I wasn't asking. How else will you be able to navigate to the shade of the woods?

He was right. She reached out and he took her hand in his, pulling the sleeve of the cloak over it so it wouldn't be exposed to the light. They walked hand in hand out into the sunlight and into the woods and remained that way for the rest of the day. This was much to her annoyance but walking wore down the sharp edges of her senses and if he had let go of her, she would have wandered aimlessly. Finally, when the sun started to set, she shed the cloak to the ground and relished the cooling air. Larva gathered up his cloak and wrapped it around himself.

"If we continue to move, we should be at the cavern when the sun rises."

Miyu stifled a groan. She hadn't realized how far she had gotten until she had to walk all the way back. And that burning thirst at the base of her throat made things worse. It became worst every time she licked her cracked lips. Larva watched her while he adjusted his cloak. She wasn't going to make it back to the cavern without feeding but she would never feed from him directly, not after what happened. When they returned to the cavern, he would have feed her indirectly by offering her a chalice of his blood disguised as wine. That didn't matter if she wasn't going to make it at all.

"I am about to suggest something to you that you are going to reject violently," he began slowly.

"Then why suggest it at all?" Miyu lapped at her lower lip and winced as the cracked skin gave way to blood. She started to feel dizzy and her equilibrium went off balance. Her throat felt like a freshly erased chalkboard.

"You need blood."

"Go to hell!" Miyu snapped at him. She began to walk in the direction they had been going but he stopped her and pulled her back into a protective embrace that she liked even less.

"You're not going to make it, my dear. The feeling will worsen until you fall head first into a condition called bloodlust."

Miyu rolled her eyes. "You would know about bloodlust. All you vampires do is lust for blood."

"It is a rather erratic state. Once you fall into it, it cannot be stopped until it wears off."

Miyu stared at him incredulously. "You act like this is some big deal."

"It is quite detrimental to your state of mind and to those around you. Many people will die at your hands. . . . . ." he trailed off seeing that Miyu had put the pieces together already in her mind.

"It's a state of weakness," Miyu said, coming to her own conclusion. She meant for it to stab into him and she wanted to twist it like a knife. "I won't be that weak."

"Then you'll have to drink." He pulled back his sleeve and slashed his wrist. In seconds, dark, rich, red blood welled up from the wound. The burning in her throat became so intense, Miyu was sure she could breathe fire. "This doesn't mean I'm warming up to you," she warned. "Remember what I said."

"I have a good memory. I won't forget," Larva assured her as she pressed her lips against the bleeding wound. The blood was so warm and so sweet, the fire was instantly quenched and she temporarily forgot about everything that had happened the hours preceding this moment. Drinking his blood was like for a human drinking water after being in the desert for days without it. It was so refreshing that when the wound started closing under her mouth, she wanted to tear it open for more but Larva was quick to intervene, perhaps to save her dignity.

"Are you ready to return to the cavern?"

Miyu wiped the droplets of blood that had managed to miss her tongue off her lips. She nodded and they began to move, first by walking, but the new energy that buzzed through her body made her restless and they soon were running side-by-side. Two shadows in the night.

(-)

"And where have you two been? Is it time for the honeymoon already?" Kyroku was standing within the entrance of one of the tunnels that would lead into the cavern. "I wasn't sure whether or not to send a search party after you both."

Miyu shot him a glare only to be met by his glare that was equally as vicious. Larva came into referee. "We were met by some aggressors when we left the cavern. Have there been any more incidents?"

"A few," Kyroku replied.

"A few?" Larva pushed deeper.

"Maybe like five."

"Five? In a twenty-four period?"

"They occurred to different hunting parties. For all we know, it was just one large assault group that had divided into smaller groups to antagonist us. I'm sure it's no big deal."

"No big deal? There are people who know where the cavern is located."

"It's not like they can do anything about us. We greatly outnumber any group that might want to oppose us. Anyway, we did away with every member in the group, I'm sure of that. Whoever is campaigning against us will surly give up after that."

Miyu tugged on Larva's sleeve for him full attention. "Have there ever been attacks on the cavern?"

"Occasionally we'll have a human stumble across an entrance and travel inside but they're either picks off by a vampire or become lost and die of starvation or injuries." Miyu frowned not liking his response.

"We're in no real danger. We're more than capable of handling every vampire hunter in Japan if it comes to them utilizing against us," Kyroku's statement was clearly meant for Miyu. "You were never really a match against us."

"Leave her alone, Kyroku," Larva warned him. Miyu gave him a swift kick to his shin. "I can defend myself, thank you very much," she said.

"Ha!" Kyroku barked. "Barely." Larva shot him a warning glance and Kyroku laid off his harassment. "I want you to take Miyu to her resting place." Larva told him.

"Are you serious?" Kyroku and Miyu both asked in unison.

Larva sighed, the night's events suddenly wearing him down. "I need to be somewhere. I will join you both shortly." He was about to part from them but then he added. "Oh, and Kyroku. I don't want to come back to hear about any further harassment of our my Miyu, is that understood?"

"Yes," Kyroku replied solemnly but when Larva turned his back to them, he quickly rolled his eyes. "Come on, vampire hunter. Let's go."

"Just lead the way so I don't have to walk next to you," Miyu hissed and they disappeared down another tunnel.

Larva waited in the shadows of a tunnel opposite theirs to make sure they didn't get into a fight before making haste down the tunnel. He had been able to hold himself well in front of Miyu but now he was drained and his emotions were beginning to nag at him. Guilt, shame, and anguish. They all hurled themselves at him, attempting to tackle him to the ground. They weren't nearly as strong as the fourth emotion that tore at him.

Loneliness.

He hadn't only changed Miyu because he had pitied her for being indirectly effected by his actions. He and Kyroku never spent enough time together to become close and now that the younger vampire had sired a son, he was spending more and more time with his wife.

The tunnel suddenly became narrow and he had to turn and walk sideways to have ample room to get through. During his first few months spent in the cavern he had never left this area. The past couple of years, he only came down here when he felt extremely lonely almost to the point where he wanted to tear himself to shreds and weep. Now, since turning Miyu, his loneliness had been tamed for the most part and he had been well-occupied up until Miyu's disappearance and the walk down memory lane. That had almost been enough to shred him once again.

The tunnel widened again and he was able to walk forwards. Ahead of him was a thick slab of rock, four inches in depth and wider than a door, it almost touched the ceiling. It would have taken a human at least five sticks of dynamite to blow it away but with his vampiric strength, his muscles barely rippled from the weight as he slid it away from the open as easily as a sliding door.

He stepped inside and paused to take in the beautiful crystals that grew from the wall. This is the first place he and Kyroku had come too and slept. And this was the final resting place of his dear friend.

He choked and suddenly gagged. Something was wrong. The room felt too big, too spacious.

Too empty.

He followed the crystals down to the various pools spaced about the room. He had left Lemures's body here. It was his burial site.

But all the pools were empty.

To Be Continued. (Naturally)

BlueDragonGirl1: I know it's been a whole year since I last updated (my bad) but I will be trying to update more this summer since I will be going off to college this Fall and I've noticed that many fanfiction authors who go off to college don't, well, come back. (sweatdrop). I'll be posting on my profile what fanfics are in the process of being written and which ones have been updated. Thanks to all who've read. **R&R!!**


	11. Missing

Miyu: The Vampire Hunter

Chapter 11: Missing

Disclaimer: Refer to chapters one thru ten because I'm too lazy to write another creative disclaimer.

Miyu and Kyroku were pitting themselves against each other in not-so-friendly argument when Larva returned in a brisk walk to the cavern. Without a word, he grabbed Kyroku's arms and dragged him a distance away from Miyu while they were still in mid-argument. Miyu was just about to follow them but she stepped back when Larva shot her a look that was all too clear. This was a private matter between him and the younger vampire.

When they were far enough away and behind a pillar sculpted out of rock, Larva drilled Kyroku. "When was the last time you went to the pools? The place we first rested when we came here."

Kyroku stared at him blankly for a bit. "That was a long time ago. I haven't been down there since we came to this part of the cavern." He shrugged. "I had no reason to go down there. Why?" Larva's hands clamped down on his shoulders and Kyroku yelped as his talons accidently pierced into his shoulders.

"He's missing!"

"Who?" Kyroku honestly had no clue what his friend was talking about.

"Lemures!"

"The dead guy?" Kyroku asked then tried to revise what he had said. "You mean your friend? What do you mean he's missing? It's not like he just got up and walked away." Kyroku winced at the pained expression on Larva's face. "Sorry, but I haven't been down there and I don't think any of the other vampires have either. Besides, why would they want with a body?"

"There were humans nearby while the hunting parties were out last night." Larva said. "And there was a human that had managed to make it to this cavern days ago."

"You think more humans managed to get in and someone got into that room and stole his body?" Kyroku asked. "Do you have any idea how farfetched that sounds?"

Larva peered around the pillar of stone and saw Miyu sitting next to her stone coffin. She turned towards them but Larva had quickly ducked back behind the pillar. "It doesn't sound very farfetched that we stumbled across that entrance years ago, does it? If we can do it, why can't they?"

"Because we're vampires," Kyroku huffed. "Who says it wasn't our external senses that lead us unconsciously to this cavern rather than coincidence?"

"Just because we're vampires doesn't mean we're immune to coincidences," Larva replied bitterly. "Even if the chances are slim of them getting pass the stone barrier that was placed there I want to keep an open mind."

Kyroku folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned up against the pillar. "We killed all those humans. I'm sure of it. There would have had to of been a group of them. One human couldn't have just run off with his body. That would be unrealistic."

"Then a vampire. . . . ."

"But what would a vampire want with the body?"

"Necrophilia, anyone?" Miyu asked as she rounded the pillar. Kyroku jumped away then recovered and stared Miyu down. "This doesn't involve you, vampire hunter," Kyroku growled.

"Sure, sure. Boys only, I get it," Miyu said but she leaned her side against the stone pillar. "So, what's the deal?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Kyroku asked her.

"Hm, you said something?"

"Miyu, this is something that has ties to long ago," Larva began.

"So in other words?"

Larva smiled and patted her on the head. "This is adult business. I'll tell you when you're older."

"What the hell?" Miyu knocked his hand from her head only to have Larva clamp both hands on her shoulders and gently turn her around. "What are you doing?"

"Time for baby to go to bed," Larva joked as he pushed her towards her coffin.

"You better hope this baby sleeps through the night," Miyu growled as she allowed herself be led away. "Or you're going to regret that comment."

Larva laughed off her threat. "You're so cute when you're angry." He moved the lid off her coffin and lifted her up. "Now, down you go."

"Wait! You're going to get me all wet!" Miyu pulled her knees up to her chest to keep her feet from touching the water. "I get it. You don't want me around your man-to-man conversation. Now put me down so I can put myself to bed." Larva put her down but held on to her arms as he pressed the side of his face to her cheek. "Thank you, Miyu," he whispered. "Perhaps someday, I will tell you what this is all about."

Miyu rolled her eyes. "Remember the last time you said that. Maybe I'd be better off if you kept things to yourself. Now shoo. I'm not an exhibitionist." She waved her hands at him and he left her to undress. She waited, looking around to see if there was anyone around. Was she actually expected to undress in the open? She climbed into the water, which was a cold as ice but to her vampiric skin, it was just the right temperature. She shimmied her dress up higher as she lowered herself into the water until she was able to fling it up over her head and sink into the pool, pulling the lid close over her.

Kyroku was tapping his foot impatiently when Larva returned. "I'm waiting for you to regret the day you turned that vampire hunter into one of us," he said.

"Then you will be waiting for all eternity," Larva murmured as he watched Miyu work out having to undress in an open room. "I regret nothing."

"Hm . . .except perhaps leaving your friend's body unattended," Kyroku mumbled but Larva didn't seem to hear him. "What do you wish to do about this? In essence, we can't rule out the vandals being human or inhuman. If we ask around, we'll be calling attention to ourselves if the one who stole him was another vampire. And I still don't believe it was a human or a group of them, for that matter."

"I will have to search for him myself then." Larva said.

"But that would take to long!" Kyroku protested. "In all honesty, Larva, the body is gone and your friend has been gone even longer." Larva closed his eyes. "But he still lives on, inside you."

"That's quite romantic, even for you to say," Larva commented with his eyes still closed.

Kyroku shrugged. "Bianca has me hooked," he admitted. "But really. Why do you still want that body? It's nothing but an empty shell?"

Larva opened his eyes and the red irises darkened richly against the black pupils. "It's something, I'm afraid, that even you wouldn't understand."

Kyroku sighed. "Fair enough, I guess." He held out his arms. "Then I will help you search for him, if it's all the same to you."

Larva smiled. "Of course. Like you said, this cavern is quite large."

"And Miyu?"

Larva peered at the coffin where the former vampire hunter slept. "I will only tell her what she needs to know."

(-)

While she slept, she had a dream that she was in a room filled with moving bodies. They were all standing upright and marching in two single file lines, one line moving forward the other moving in the opposite direction. She watched them from an alcove where she was out of sight although it didn't seem to matter since their eyes seemed to be fixated to the head of the person in front of them.

The light in the room was dim and red in color and came from some unseen light source near the cavern ceiling. It made it hard to tell whether these bodies were human or vampire and she watched intently for a familiar face she might recognize.

There was suddenly a break in the line that was passing by where she was hidden and she quickly filled the space, moving fluidly so as not to be noticed by the other line that moved pass. She moved with the line, careful not to walk on the heels of the body ahead of her. She didn't know why but she had a strong feeling that she was unwanted here.

The line started to curve and naturally turned the bodies to face the opposite direction. She realized that there weren't two lines moving in opposite directions but that it was one line that was moving in an oval shaped path.

"How strange," she thought to herself. "Why are these people just walking around in a circle? What are they doing here?" As she was walking the curved portion of the path she noticed someone sitting against the wall out of the corner of her eye. She slipped away from her rank and stood directly in front of this individual. A red ray of light shone down upon his body but his head was pulled back and in cased in shadows. No matter how hard she tried to focus, she couldn't make out what his face looked like. The red light seemed to screw with her vision and she blinked her eyes to assess the situation. Was that cloak black or red?

There were tubes that came down from the ceiling and were inserted into various parts of the body. Something was flowing through them but she couldn't tell what. She moved towards it when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind. A searing pain went into her back and another set of arms wrapped around her legs as she tried to struggle to escape. The grip on her body was too strong and despite her efforts she couldn't break free. As the hands pulled her away she glimpsed the faceless person shift as a pale hand emerged from the red light.

But then everything went black.

(-)

Miyu woke up gasping for air. A mouthful of the water had seeped into her mouth somehow and she struggled to spit it out. What the hell had that been all about? She struggled to keep a hold of the dream that was threatening to leave her with nothing but a shadow of a memory that it had been there. She moved the lid of her coffin and sat up. There was no one out and about in the cavern so she slipped out of the coffin completely naked and tip-toed over to the coffin next to hers.

She didn't know exactly how she knew but she slid the lid back expecting to find Larva and did, complete in the same condition she was in but still asleep. She made sure not to lose grip of the lid, not ready to expose herself to his godliness. She sighed, more in relief than at his beauty and closed the lid. She quickly climbed back into her coffin and pulled the lid over her head. For some odd reason, that dream had given her the urgent need to make sure that he was still there. She didn't know why and didn't give it a second thought as she drifted back to sleep.

To Be Continued . . . .

_**BlueDragonGirl1:**__ Hey ya'll! So I finally got around to updating, again, after a year. Just to prove how lazy I was, the beginning of this chapter was typed up on January 8__th__ 2009! That's the part up to before Miyu's dream. The rest of it was typed up today (01/05/2010) in about a half an hour. (O.o) Oh, how easy it is to forget how easy it really is to write these fanfiction updates. Those of you who don't review shouldn't be complaining though. :P So maybe that'll give you some incentive to review and maybe (just maybe) I'll update faster. __**R&R!!!**_


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